‘Sari murders’ remain unsolved in UP’s Bareilly district

Bareilly (UP): The Bareilly Police have made little headway in solving the murders of nine women reported since June 17.

The murders took place in the jurisdiction of two police stations -- Shahi and Sheeshgarh.

The commonality in all the crimes was that the murder weapon was always either a sari or chunari (stole). The murders -- now known as ‘sari murders’ -- raised many alarms prompting the police to deploy additional resources to enhance vigilance and curb any potential threat.

The most recent murder was reported from Sheeshgarh police station on November 26. What makes the task of finding the killer more challenging is that there is no eyewitnesses to any of these crimes.

In the latest development in the case, the police on Friday detained a person with intellectual disability who confessed to two of the nine murders --of Mehmoodan, 60, and Urmilla Devi, 57 -- on October 31 and November 26.

“We are keeping a watch on the activities of suspects spotted in the region and many of them were even quizzed. However, there is no concrete lead in the case. Further investigation into the matter is underway,” said Bareilly senior superintendent of police, Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan.

Requesting anonymity, another police official said the suspect was found loitering with a non-operational radio near Dakia Dam village under Shahi police station limits.