Serial killer Chanderkant Jha apprehended by Delhi Police after months-long manhunt

New Delhi: Delhi Police Crime Branch has apprehended Chanderkant Jha, a "serial killer" who had terrorised the national capital between 2006 and 2007 and evaded arrest for more than a year, an official said on Saturday.

"Jha was on the run after jumping parole in October 2023. The 57-year-old was arrested from Old Delhi Railway Station on Friday following an intensive operation," Additional Commissioner of Police (crime branch) Sanjay Kumar Sain said.

Jha, who had been serving a life sentence for three murders, carried a bounty of Rs 50,000 for his capture, he said.

The officer further said that the Crime Branch formed a team which included senior police officers to locate Jha.

"Over six months, the team traced Jha's network of family, friends, and associates. They conducted reconnaissance at his previous crime spots and interrogated individuals in fruit and vegetable mandis across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where Jha had once worked," said the Additional CP.

Analysing voluminous call data records, the team identified a suspicious mobile number that ultimately led them to Jha's location.

Acting on a lead, the team arrested Jha on January 17 as he attempted to flee to Bihar from Old Delhi Railway Station, he said.

Police said that a history of gruesome crimes between 2006 and 2007, Jha's modus operandi left Delhi shaken.

Originally from Bihar, Jha resided near Azadpur Mandi in Delhi and befriended young men, often migrants, by helping them find jobs and offering them meals.

However, minor disagreements or perceived infractions would trigger his homicidal rage.

"Jha would tie his victims hands, claiming he would punish them, and then strangle them with a locally made nunchaku. He would dismember the bodies meticulously, ensuring minimal blood splatter. The remains were then packed in plastic bags and transported using his modified cycle-rickshaw before being dumped at pre-determined locations, often near Tihar Jail," Sain added.

He said that adding to the horror, Jha would leave handwritten notes with the dismembered bodies, taunting the police and challenging them to catch him.

Jha's first recorded murder dates back to 1998 when he killed Mangal alias Aurangzeb in Adarsh Nagar, Delhi, dismembering the body and scattering its parts.

Arrested in 1998, he was released in 2002. After his release, he resumed killing, police said.

In June 2003, Jha murdered his associate Shekhar in Haiderpur for being a drunkard and liar, disposing of the body in Alipur.

In November 2003, Umesh, a migrant from Bihar, was killed for alleged betrayal, and his body was dumped near Tihar Jail.In November 2005, Jha killed Guddu for his habits, including smoking marijuana and disposed of his body in Mangolpuri, police said.

In October 2006, Amit, accused of womanizing, met a similar fate, with his body left outside Tihar Jail.

In another case Upender was murdered in April 2007 for a love affair deemed inappropriate, his remains left near Tihar's Gate No 3.

In May 2007, Dilip, who ate non-vegetarian food, was killed and dumped near Tihar's Gate No. 1.

Jha was convicted of three murders, earning two death sentences in 2013.

These were commuted to life imprisonment without remission in 2016.

In October 2023, Jha was granted parole for 90 days but failed to surrender, choosing instead to go underground.

"His evasion prompted the Delhi Police to issue a reward for his capture. Despite his efforts to remain hidden, including staying in various parts of Bihar and Delhi and maintaining minimal contact with known associates, Jha was apprehended as he attempted to flee Delhi," said the officer.

Jha, who studied up to the eighth grade, migrated to Delhi in 1990 and worked in various low-income jobs. He was married twice and fathered five daughters.

Jha's seemingly kind demeanour masked a savage killer, who viewed minor infractions by his victims as justification for extreme punishment, police added.

His case received a significant media attention and was the subject of an OTT platform documentary "Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi".