Gujarat: Man held for rape, murder of Valsad teen; had killed 4 people in trains, say police
Police said the murders were carried out in trains passing through states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Telangana between October 20 and November 24.
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The alleged involvement of Rahul Jat in the murders on trains came to light following his arrest in the rape and murder of a 19-year-old girl in Valsad on November 14. (Express photo) (Express)The rape and murder of a 19-year-old college student, whose body was found in a mango orchard at Udvada in Valsad district earlier this month, was the handiwork of a serial killer who robbed and killed at least four other people, including a woman whom he also raped, in a month in various trains passing through different states, Gujarat police said.
The latest murder, police said, was that of a woman inside a train passing through Secunderabad, Telangana, on Sunday morning.
The accused, 30-year-old Rahul alias Bholu Karamveer Jat, a resident of Rohtak in Haryana, was arrested on Sunday evening when he alighted at the Vapi Railway Station after boarding a train from Bandra, Mumbai.
Police said the murders were carried out in trains passing through states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Telangana between October 20 and November 24.
Police said that on November 14, the accused had come to Udvada to collect his payment from a hotel where he used to work as a waiter. He was waiting for a local train to take him to Vapi, from where was supposed to leave for Mumbai, when he spotted the teenager walking alone on the railway platform. He followed her, pulled her into a mango orchard where he raped and strangulated her to death before returning to Vapi, said police.
Acting on a tip-off, a team from Mumbai Police kept a watch on the accused as he travelled in the Bandra-Bhuj Express train. As soon as the train reached Vapi Railway Station, the officials stationed there arrested him and brought him to the police station.
Police arrested him under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 103 (murder), 64 (1) (rape), and 66 (Causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim).
Valsad District Superintendent of Police Dr Karanraj Vaghela said, “The accused has confessed to have killed a woman travelling in Mangalore Express train on Sunday. An offence in this regard was registered with Secunderabad GRP station. We talked to the police officials in Secunderabad today (on Monday) and informed them about the arrest of the suspect.”
Rape, murders inside train
On the past crimes of the accused, police said he killed a man and robbed his belongings in a train moving from Bengaluru to Murdeshwar on October 25. On November 19, just a few days after the Valsad murder, the accused killed an elderly music teacher and robbed his valuables and cash in Katihar Express train passing through West Bengal, said police. A complaint in this connection was registered with Howrah GRP station. Police said the accused also confessed to have killed a woman in October while travelling in a train running between Pune and Kanyakumari, adding the man had also raped the victim near Solapur Railway Station in Maharashtra before killing her.”
Was released on bail in May
Police said that the accused was lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan for different crimes and was released on bail in May 2024.
Vaghela said, “He used to steal trucks parked at highway hotels. Thirteen cases were registered against him in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. He was also involved in arms trafficking. The accused used to travel in different trains and rob passengers found alone before murdering them.”
Giving details about how the suspect was tracked, Vaghela said, “At the crime spot in Udvada, we found two bags – while one belonged to the victim, the other contained a jersey and a pair of shorts. We checked CCTV footage of Vapi railway station and found a man wearing the same jersey walking on the platform. Even the bag was the same. We shared the pictures of the suspect with the Railway police in different states.”
Meanwhile, police contacted Surat Central Jail authorities and shared the photos of the suspect. “On entering his picture in the online record of people lodged in different jails, we found that it matched with someone released from Jodhpur jail earlier this year. We traced his family to Rohtak and got his mobile number, which was found switched off. His last location was found in Vadodara. On Sunday, Bandra Railway police team, which was on alert, informed us that the suspect was spotted at the railway station there and was travelling in the Bandra-Bhuj Express train.”
Police said they checked over 5,000 CCTV cameras at different railway stations in Gujarat and Maharashtra and talked to thousands of people before zeroing in on the accused.
Valsad Police said they had made a WhatsApp group with police officials in Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Odisha, and Rajasthan to share details of the accused. The accused has a disability on his left leg due to which he walked with a limp, which helped in identifying him, they added.
Valsad Police said they have recovered cash amounting to Rs 25,604, three mobile phones, and a blood-stained knife from his possession.
“We suspect his involvement in many more crimes. We are coordinating with police of different states and getting the details of likely undetected murder cases,” said Vaghela.
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