Delhi's Notorious Serial Killer Chanderkant Jha Arrested After Months Of Being On Loose

Chanderkant Jha, a notorious serial killer who terrorised Delhi in 2006 and 2007 with a string of murders, was arrested after being on the police's radar as one of the most wanted criminals of the time.

After his capture, the 57-year-old was sentenced to death, though his conviction was later commuted to life imprisonment in 2016.

Photo Credit: https://x.com/CrimeBranchDP

However, Jha had other plans. In October 2023, after being granted 90 days on parole, he was supposed to return to jail but instead decided to flee.

The Delhi Police announced his recent arrest. "Chanderkant Jha carried a reward of Rs 50,000. He has been traced... After several months of surveillance and planning, he was arrested from New Delhi railway station," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sanjay Sen told reporters.

"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 markets across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, where Jha had once worked," Sen explained.

By analysing vast amounts of call data records, the team identified a suspicious mobile number that ultimately led them to Jha's location. He was apprehended on January 17 as he tried to flee to Bihar from Old Delhi Railway Station, the officer said.

Originally from Bihar, Jha had lived near Azadpur Mandi in Delhi, where he befriended young migrant men, often helping them find jobs and offering them meals. However, minor disagreements or perceived slights would trigger his deadly rage, according to the police.

"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 carefully to minimise blood spillage. The remains were then packed in plastic bags and transported in his modified cycle-rickshaw before being dumped at specific locations, often near Tihar Jail," Sen said.

The killer left handwritten notes with the dismembered bodies, taunting the police and challenging them to catch him. Many of the bodies were discarded near Tihar Jail.

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

He was arrested in 1998 but released in 2002. After his release, the police said, he resumed his killing spree.

In June 2003, Jha killed his friend Shekhar in Haiderpur for being a drunkard and a liar, disposing of the body in Alipur. In November 2003, he killed Umesh, a migrant from Bihar, for alleged betrayal, and dumped the body near Tihar Jail.

In November 2005, he murdered Guddu for his habits, including smoking marijuana, and disposed of the body in Mangolpuri. In October 2006, Amit, accused of womanising, met a similar fate, with his body left outside Tihar Jail.