New Delhi: In the rural expanse of Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh, a shocking pattern has emerged as nine women have been brutally murdered over the past 14 months. The murders, occurring within a 25km radius across villages covered by two police stations have sparked widespread fear and suspicion.The victims, all women aged between 45 and 55 were found strangled in fields around noon. Despite their disheveled clothing, there were no signs of sexual assault. This consistent modus operandi has led authorities to suspect a serial killer might be at work.What DGP say Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar informed TOI, Our teams have been investigating this case for six months and have not ruled out the possibility of a serial killer due to the nearly identical modus operandi of the murders. Based on some leads, we have now released sketches of three suspects.Timeline of the tragedyThe unsettling series of murders began in June of last year. The most recent victim, a 45-year-old woman, was found on July 3rd in a farm in Shahi Sheeshgarh. By November of the previous year, the body count had reached eight, escalating fears among the local population. Despite the arrest of three suspects, the murders continued unabated.Investigation is underwayBareilly Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anurag Arya stated, the pattern is clear: strangulation around noon, bodies found in farms and post-mortems ruling out sexual assault. Our investigations, including electronic surveillance, have hit a dead end.Authorities now suspect that the three men initially arrested may not be the actual perpetrators, as the killings persisted even while they were in custody. Senior officials are currently examining the cases of recently bailed or released prisoners.With traditional methods proving insufficient, police are turning to new strategies. They have released sketches of suspects and are interviewing farmers across 90 villages to uncover new leads.
