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Women murders in Bareilly: Police using drones, combing jungle & patrolling on boats to hunt for ‘faceless’ killer
The victims, mostly women, were strangled to death with a saree or stole when found alone in farming fields and jungle areas between 11 am to 5 pm.
Lucknow Aerial surveillance and ground combing have been heightened in the villages of Bareilly district, particularly withiPolice officials are establishing a network of informers in every village within the Shahi and Sheeshgarh police station limits to provide tips about the movements of suspicious individuals in the region.n the Shahi and Sheeshgarh police station limits, to apprehend the faceless killer responsible for a series of women’s murders in the region spanning approximately 35 kilometers under the jurisdiction of the two police stations. Six separate teams, including female police officers, have been deployed for this purpose.
Police officials reported that these murders occurred in various villages under the Shahi police station limits, with the most recent incident reported on November 26 in a village under Sheeshgarh police station limits. The victims, mostly women, were strangled to death with a saree or stole when found alone in farming fields and jungle areas between 11 am to 5 pm.
“We are utilising drones for aerial surveillance and conducting combing operations in jungle areas to locate suspects. The most challenging aspect is identifying the suspects due to the absence of eyewitnesses in any of these incidents. The police are divided into different teams, each assigned specific tasks related to the intensive combing of the entire region where these murders were reported. They are manually verifying the credentials of people living in the region one by one,” said ASP (crime) Mukesh Pratap Singh in a phone interview.
The ASP mentioned that a group of personnel is combing jungle areas and cross-checking suspicious individuals found during the process. Given that most incidents were reported within two kilometers of the bank of the river Ram Ganga, another group of police officers is patrolling on boats, checking the credentials of people living alongside the banks.
“We are hopeful that those involved in these incidents will be traced and arrested soon,” he said, adding, “The police teams are also establishing a network of informers in every village to provide tips after spotting suspicious persons in and around the villages.”
The ASP noted that it is not yet clear whether these murders are interconnected or the work of one person or different individuals. However, residents suspect the involvement of a psychopath in the region. Singh added that an advisory has been issued to villagers, urging them not to allow women to go out alone and to step out in groups of three to four, if necessary. This advisory is to be followed until the police reach any conclusion regarding these incidents. Police personnel are conducting awareness campaigns among women in villages.
Significantly, police vigilance has intensified since Tuesday, following a visit by Bareilly Zone ADG PC Meena and IG (Range) Rakesh Singh on Monday, who directed officials to expedite the resolution of the cases. They instructed the officials to map the crime incidents and analyse the crime pattern to apprehend the assailants.
Bareilly SSP issues clarification
In a clarification issued on Thursday, Bareilly’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dhule Sushil Chandrabhan said that the bodies of nine women under Shahi, Sheeshgarh, and Fatehganj police station limits were recovered since June 17. Out of these, three murders were solved with the arrest of three different individuals. The cause of death was not ascertained in three cases, and viscera was preserved for further examination. The murders of three other women remain unsolved, and efforts are ongoing.
