Cornered, psycho serial killer jumps on tracks

The 10-year-long run of a psycho killer came to a bloody end with the murderer settling on an impulse exit plan: throwing himself in front of an oncoming train in his native village in Uttar Pradesh.

The serial killer, who had taken the lives of three flour mill owners in Mumbai and at least four others in different cities across several states, reportedly got wind that cops were on his trail. Feeling cornered and fearing arrest, he killed himself, cops said. The police have now closed the case and released the three accused earlier arrested on suspicion for the three murders.

Crime branch officials said the alleged killer, Kalpanath Jaiswal (55), was a resident of Azamgarh, UP. He killed low-profile people for money, usually acquaintances from his village, to deflect attention from himself and the crimes.

MiD DAY had reported (‘Serial killer on the loose targeting flour mill owners?' December 1) about the accused's killing spree in Mumbai, which began in September when he killed his first prey, Rajkumar Jaiswal (38), in Kalyan. The following month, he killed Devilal Jaiswal (30), in Mumbra. The month after, he slaughtered Phulchand Yadav in Dahisar. After the cases were widely highlighted in the media, Kalpanath fled to his village in Azamgarh.

Easy quarry
"Kalpanath mainly targeted people from his village who were staying in different places. He would befriend them and later slaughter them for whatever money they had," said inspector Subhash Sawant of the Dahisar crime branch. During the course of investigations, cops found out that his three victims in the city belonged to the same village in Azamgarh, and dispatched a team there. But Kalpanath got wind that police were on his trail and absconded to his daughter's place in Azad Mandi, Delhi.u00a0

Back in Azamgarh, sleuths found a cell phone belonging to the Mumbra victim with a relative of Kalpanath's. The kin gave the cops his name. Officers then got to know that Kalpanath was also the brother-in-law of the flour mill operator murdered in Dahisar. They began looking for him. Their hunt led them to Delhi. But Kalpanath sensed what was coming and fled Delhi to set out for his village in UP. On the periphery of his native place, he found out that his hideaway had been compromised. Cops had laid a trap for him outside his house and most other places he visited. He was ready to hit the road again.

No exit
"To escape arrest, he headed back for Azamgarh railway station. An eyewitness told us that he looked very disturbed and was wandering about when he spotted a moving train. Before long, he leaped on to the track and died in no time," said inspector Sawant.

Crime branch officials said Kalpanath was operating for the last several years, taking care to keep himself well below the radar. The police in several states were on the lookout for him since the time he worked with transport agencies years ago. At one time, he also worked as a mechanic. He has allegedly killed four people in Rajasthan, Haryana, Chiplun (Maharashtra) and Azamgarh. Cops said they also suspect him of finishing off a person who has been missing from his village.

Modus operandi
According to the police, alleged serial killer Kalpanath Jaiswal first befriended his victims mostly his kith and kin from his village in UP scattered across the country. He then killed them a day before the flour mills they owned downed shutter for the weekly holiday. He hit his victims on the head with a hammer. The blood loss eventually killed his targets. In all three Mumbai murders, the killer heaped flour around the victim's body after assaulting him, to keep the blood from seeping outside the shop. He would then take off with their money and mobile phones. u00a0