Ahmedabad/Kolkata A serial killer who allegedly murdered multiple passengers on trains across different states, including a disabled tabla player and a college student whom he reportedly raped, was arrested in Gujarat’s Valsad district, police officials from two states said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Rahul Jat, 30, from Rohtak in Haryana, was apprehended on November 24 following a multistate operation while he was while travelling on a Bandra-Bhuj train, Valsad superintendent of police Karanraj Vaghela said.
The breakthrough came after the murder of the 19-year-old college student near Udvada railway station in Valsad district on November 14. “The victim was returning home from tuition classes near Udvada railway station when she was attacked. Her body was found in a mango orchard near the railway tracks, with evidence of sexual assault and strangulation,” Vaghela said.
Despite initial challenges due to lack of CCTV coverage at the crime scene, investigators identified the suspect through his distinctive limp at Vapi railway station. Staff at Surat’s Lajpore Central Jail later identified him as Rahul, who also goes by the name Bholu, leading to a joint operation involving police forces from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
Investigation revealed a string of murders across multiple states. “The accused had murdered a fellow passenger in Karnataka on the Bengaluru-Murdeshwar train following an argument over cigarettes on October 25. In West Bengal, he killed and robbed a 63-year-old man on the Katihar Express on November 19, inflicting multiple stab wounds. A few days before his arrest, he had murdered a woman on the Mangalore Special Express at Secunderabad railway station on November 24. In October 2024, he sexually assaulted and murdered a woman passenger on the Pune-Kanyakumari train near Solapur and investigation is on in this matter,” Vaghela said.
One of the victims was Saumitra Chatterjee, 63, a physically challenged tabla player whose body was found on the Katihar Express on November 19. “When we started tracking his phone, it was found to be in Andhra Pradesh on November 20, a day after the murder, and in Tamil Nadu on November 21. The phone always appeared to be moving along railway tracks and the pattern indicated that the suspect could be travelling in the Ernakulam Express,” said M Pushpa, superintendent of railway police, Howrah.
{{/usCountry}}One of the victims was Saumitra Chatterjee, 63, a physically challenged tabla player whose body was found on the Katihar Express on November 19. “When we started tracking his phone, it was found to be in Andhra Pradesh on November 20, a day after the murder, and in Tamil Nadu on November 21. The phone always appeared to be moving along railway tracks and the pattern indicated that the suspect could be travelling in the Ernakulam Express,” said M Pushpa, superintendent of railway police, Howrah.
{{/usCountry}}According to the Bengal police official, Chatterjee’s body, bearing multiple stab injuries and covered with a blanket, was discovered on the top bunk of a coach reserved for specially enabled passengers. His mobile phone, money, and identification documents were missing.
The accused’s modus operandi involved targeting lone passengers, particularly in disabled coaches and women’s compartments, police said. “He would typically strangle victims or use a knife, then cover their bodies with cloth and exit at the next station. He combined murders with robbery, stealing money and mobile phones from his victims. He frequently travelled by train and slept at railway stations,” Vaghela said.
Police recovered ₹25,604 in cash, three mobile phones, a blood-stained knife, a yellow gamcha (cloth), nylon rope, and various items of clothing from the accused. Officials said Rahul had previously served jail terms in 2018-19 and 2024 for various crimes across Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, with at least 13 registered cases against him.
The accused is currently in police custody as investigators probe the possibility of additional unreported crimes committed by him. The police are also trying to piece together what sparked his killing spree.