Delhi: Key associate of serial killer ‘Doctor Death’ arrested

Rajender Raju, 59, key associate of serial killer Devender Sharma, arrested after 21 years for aiding in 21 murders of drivers in Delhi and Gurugram.

A 59-year-old man who helped serial killer Devender Kumar Sharma, also known as “Doctor Death,” kidnap and murder at least 21 taxiand truck drivers in 2003 and 2004 in Delhi and Gurugram was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch from Aligarh on Saturday, officers said on Sunday.

Devender Kumar Sharma, a BAMS degree holder, and his gang, including Rajender Raju, lured taxi and truck drivers by hiring their services, killed them, disposed of their bodies, and sold the vehicles in the grey market for ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 each. (Representational image)

The accused, identified as Rajender Raju, was a key associate of Sharma and was absconding for the past 21 years, police said. Sharma, a BAMS degree holder, and his gang, including Raju, lured taxi and truck drivers by hiring their services, killed them, disposed of their bodies, and sold the vehicles in the grey market for ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 each.

“While on the run, Raju committed a murder in Jaipur, Rajasthan in 2007. He was arrested by Rajasthan Police, but since he was using a false identity, the authorities didn’t know he was also involved in kidnappings and murders committed by Sharma’s gang in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). A local court in Jaipur sentenced Raju to life imprisonment for the murder committed in 2007. He served his sentence from 2007 to 2021,” said deputy commissioner of police (crime) Aditya Gautam.

Raju was released on bail in 2021 and absconded, police said. He was declared a proclaimed offender (PO) in one of the cases registered against him in 2024 at the Sarita Vihar police station in south-east Delhi.

Meanwhile, 67-year-old Sharma, who was arrested in 2004, first jumped parole in 2020, evaded law for seven months, arrested thereafter by crime branch, again jumped parole in 2023. He was held again on May 19 this from Dausa in Rajasthan where he had been hiding in an ashram, posing as a godman. When police interrogated him, he revealed Raju’s involvement with his gang and that he was still on the run, police said.

The Crime Branch’s RK Puram team which had arrested Sharma launched a manhunt for Raju. Through technical and human intelligence, the team conducted inquiries across Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, Jaipur, and Delhi, police said.

“The team traced Raju to Kasimpur in Aligarh where he was hiding in an isolated room and working as a security guard at a local pump house. He was arrested and brought back to Delhi,” added the DCP.

Raju told police that he was from Aligarh and worked as a farmer. He joined Sharma’s gang following a personal dispute he had with a person in 2003.

“Raju has 12 prior criminal involvements, including cases of murder, kidnapping, and robbery. He was wanted in four murder cases registered in Delhi and Gurugram in which he was never arrested. All concerned police stations have been informed of his arrest,” added Gautam.