In a story straight out of a true-crime documentary, a city in Madhya Pradesh is on high alert as 'Stoneman,' a suspected serial killer who only strikes at night, is on the run.?
The Sagar district has reported four cases, three of which happened in the last three nights and followed an identical attack pattern. They were all killed by having their heads smashed with a hammer, spade, or stones.
Locals discovered Shamburam Dubey, 60, a security guard at Sagar's Arts and Commerce College, murdered outside the canteen on Tuesday morning. He was killed in his sleep.?
A phone was also found near Dubey's body. The SIM card was missing, but a quick check indicated it belonged to 57-year-old Kalyan Lodhi, a second security guard killed the night before in a factory.
Mangal Ahirwar, another victim, was attacked on Tuesday night. With severe head injuries, he was taken to a Bhopal hospital. He passed away on the way. He was targeted while on duty near Sagar's Moti Nagar area.
Uttam Rajak, Kalyan Lodhi, and Shamburam Dubey were all security guards between 50 and 60. The victims were not looted.
According to sources, the accused has been wearing a white shirt and shorts in CCTV footage.
"The police are working on dual strategies, including how to protect people and, secondly, how to track and capture the killer. Special teams have been constituted, and CSP-Sagar is heading the entire probe," said Sagar district police superintendent Tarun Nayak.
"A police team raided a jungle late last night on information about a suspect. We appeal to all those with CCTV cameras to check the footage of the last few days and share with us anything incriminating. The identities of the informants won't be disclosed," he added.
"Entire Sagar district police are on high alert, night patrolling has been intensified further in Sagar, and the security guards on night duty at various spots have been put on maximum alert. From the CCTV grabs analyzed so far, a man is seen running. The ongoing probe suggests that it may be one man committing these killings, but until the killer is nabbed, commenting further will create confusion."
The Madhya Pradesh police have formed various teams to track the culprit and announced a 20,000 reward for his arrest.
In 2018, police arrested 'serial killer' Aadesh Khamra from Mandideep in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen district for allegedly killing 34 truck drivers and cleaners in a decade.
(With PTI inputs)?
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