'Butcher Of Delhi’ Chanderkant Jha Arrested After Months-Long Manhunt — All About His Grisly Crimes
The 57-year-old killer was absconding after jumping parole in October 2023. He was arrested from Old Delhi Railway Station on Friday after an intensive operation by the Delhi Police.
Chanderkant Jha, a "serial killer" who terrorised the national capital between 2006 and 2007, was arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on Friday after evading arrest for more than a year.
The 57-year-old killer was absconding after jumping parole in October 2023. He was arrested from Old Delhi Railway Station on Friday after an intensive operation, Additional Commissioner of Police (crime branch) Sanjay Kumar Sain told news agency PTI.
Jha was on the run since October 2023 after he did not return to jail after spending 90 days on parole. He had been serving a life sentence for three murders, and carried a reward of Rs 50,000.
ACP Sain further said that the Crime Branch formed a team, including senior police officers to locate Jha. The tram traced his family, friends, and associates and even conducted reconnaissance at his previous crime spots over the last six months. "They interrogated individuals in fruit and vegetable mandis across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, where Jha had once worked," he said.
When the police were analysing call data records, a suspicious mobile number popped up which ultimately led them to the serial killer's location.
Acting on a lead, the team caught hold of Jha on January 17 while he was attempting to flee to Bihar from Old Delhi Railway Station.
The spate of gruesome crimes between 2006 and 2007 and Jha's modus operandi had left the city shaken at that time.
Who Is Chanderkant Jha? 'The Butcher Of Delhi'
Chanderkant Jha, originally from Bihar, migrated to Delhi in 1990. He had completed his studies up to the eighth grade in Bihar and after coming to Delhi he began residing near Azadpur Mandi. Jha worked in various low-income jobs.
He was married twice and fathered five daughters.
But behind his seemingly kind demeanour, he masked a savage killer, who justified the extreme "punishment" by the minor infractions by his victims. He used to befriend young men, often migrants, offering them meals and helping them find jobs.
However, he would become enraged by minor disagreements or perceived infractions. "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.
Jha would even leave handwritten notes with the dismembered bodies, taunting the police and challenging them to catch him.
His first recorded murder dates back to 1998 when he dismembered the body and scattered its parts after killing Mangal alias Aurangzeb in Adarsh Nagar, Delhi.
He was arrested in 1998 and was released in 2002. However, he did not stop there. He resumed killing after his release.
In June 2003, he murdered his associate Shekhar in Haiderpur for being a drunkard and liar, disposing of the body in Alipur. After a few months in November, he killed Umesh, a migrant from Bihar, alleging betrayal. His body was dumped near Tihar Jail.
In November 2005, Jha killed a man named Guddu for his habits, including smoking marijuana, disposing of his body in Mangolpuri. Thereafter, in October 2006, another victim named Amit, met a similar fate, with his body left outside Tihar Jail. He was accused of womanising.
In another case in April 2007, Upender was murdered for a love affair deemed inappropriate. Jha left his remains near Tihar jail's Gate No 3. Same year, Dilip, who ate non-vegetarian food, was murdered and his body was dumped near Tihar's Gate No. 1 in May 2007.
The serial killer was then convicted of three murders, and given two death sentences in 2013. However, these were later commuted to life imprisonment without remission in 2016.
"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," the officer said, as reported by PTI.
Jha's barbaric case received a immense media attention and even became the subject of a documentary "Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi".
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