Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested a man who is accused of killing 11 people over a period of 18 months.
The man was identified as Ram Saroop alias Sodhi of Chaura village in Hoshiarpur district, reported the Hindustan Times.
During interrogation, the 31-year-old revealed that he is a “serial killer” who has murdered 11 men.
Saroop’s victims were primarily men whom he killed after offering them lifts in his car or engaging in sexual acts. He strangled the victims in some cases, or used bricks to bludgeon them to death in others.
The motives behind the murders were usually altercations or the victim’s refusal to pay money.
India TV reported that Saroop would often offer lifts to men, then rob and kill them if they resisted.
In one case, the serial killer even wrote “dhokebaaz” (cheat) on the back of a victim, who was identified as a former soldier working as a security guard in Punjab.
“In most cases, Saroop reportedly strangled his victims with a piece of cloth, though in some instances, victims died from head injuries caused by blunt objects like bricks,” said Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Mahal.
“The accused, who was married with three children, was abandoned by his family due to his homosexuality around two years ago. His medical examination will be conducted to clarify doubts if he was infected with HIV.”
Saroop was initially arrested in connection with a murder case in Kirtarpur Sahib. During interrogation, he confessed to killing 10 other people.
The murders took place in Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Hoshiarpur in the last 18 months.
One of his victims was Maninder Singh of Kartarpur Sahib, a 37-year-old who used to serve tea and water at Modra toll plaza. He was murdered on Aug 18.
Another was a 34-year-old tractor repairer, who was beaten to death on April 5. A young man was also found killed in a car on Jan 24.
Five murders have been connected to Saroop, while the police are still investigating the other cases.
Officers said that the accused, who worked as a labourer, was addicted to drugs, reported NDTV.
Saroop reportedly said during interrogation that he used to touch the victims’ feet and ask for forgiveness after killing them.
He added that he committed the crimes after getting intoxicated.
