West Bengal's 38-year-old serial killer was finally sentenced to death by a court in Purba Bardhaman district on Monday (July 6) in a rape and murder case.
The accused, identified as Kamruzzaman Sarkar, also known as the 'chain man', was arrested in June 2019. As per a senior district police officer, the additional district and sessions court judge, Sarkar was sentenced to death for raping and murdering a 16-year-old teen girl in May last year.
"Sarkar was arrested on June 2 last year. He has been charged in 15 cases in two districts of East Burdwan and Hooghly. Among them, two were rape-and-murder, seven murder, and six attempt-to-murder cases. The victims were between 16 and 75 years old," said the police officer.
Between 2013 and 2019, the accused killed around nine women and raped two of the victims. The victims were aged between 16 and 75 years.
Sarkar charged with 15 cases
According to The Hindustan Times, Sarkar was charged in 15 cases, including two rape cases, seven murders, and six attempts to murder cases. Not only this, but the serial killer was also charged with sections related to the robbery.
How Sarkar carried out the crimes
On the pretext of taking down electricity meter readings, Sarkar would step inside people's homes and attack. He usually would carry out the attacks during afternoon hours when the men of the houses were away at work. Sarkar also informed the court that some women managed to escape the attacks.
What had earned him the tag of 'chain man' was his modus operandi to strangulate the victims with a cycle chain and then hit them on the head with an iron rod to ensure death.
Bhaskar Mukherjee, SP, East Burdwan district told Hindustan Times, "He chose his prey carefully. He would conduct a recce for two-three days to find out whether the woman he wanted to target was alone at home."
Sarkar stayed with his wife, two sons and a daughter in East Burdwan but he was from Murshidabad district.
Sarkar was superstitious
Sarkar used his bike and helmet to carry out the attacks. His astrologer told him that red colour was lucky for him following which he continued using his red bike and helmet even when some women managed to escape.
It was Sarkar's red colour bike and helmet that led to his arrest in 2019, reported HT.
How Bengal police nabbed Sarkar
To detain Sarkar, the West Bengal Police had formed teams and taken help of volunteers. Two civic volunteers had informer the police about a man on a red motorcycle who tried to speed past the barricade. However, he lost his balance and fell.
