Rajendra Jakkal

Background

Rajendra Jakkal was one of four serial killers who were commercial art students of Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya, Tilak Road, Pune, India. The group acquired a reputation for bad conduct on their college campus. They frequently robbed and indulged in drinking.

The group included Joshi-Abhyankar serial murders: Rajendra Jakkal, Dilip Dhyanoba Sutar, Shantaram Kanhoji Jagtap and Munawar Harun Shah. They committed 10 murders between January 1976 and March 1977. They were hanged to death on 27 November 1983.

The offence

The group committed a kidnapping-for-ransom plot and multiple serial murders. They strangled victims with a nylon rope, placed bodies in an iron barrel or tied bodies to an unused iron ladder, weighed down with boulders, and dumped them into water. After some murders they sent ransom notes.

The group also targeted households by entering after ringing doorbells or by forcing themselves into houses brandishing knives. They tied hands and legs and stuffed victims’ mouths with a ball of cloth. In at least one case they stripped a victim and forced her to direct them to valuables before killing her.

The group used rubber gloves leaving no fingerprints and sprayed a strong scent in one house to ward off sniffer dogs.

Timeline

• 15 January 1976 — On a false pretext, the foursome along with classmate Suhas Chandak picked up Prakash Hegde and took him to Rajendra Jakkal’s tin shed on Karve Road; they forced him to write a runaway note to his father.
• 16 January 1976 — The group gagged Prakash Hegde and took him to Peshwe Park; they strangled him with a nylon rope, placed his body in an iron barrel, inserted some stones, and dumped the barrel into the lake; the following day they sent a ransom note to Sundar Hegde.
• August 1976 — The gang moved to Kolhapur and targeted the house of a local businessman unsuccessfully.
• 31 October 1976 — Achyut Joshi was attacked on the night of 31 October; the group forced themselves into his house brandishing knives.
• 22 November 1976 — Bafna Yashomati’s bungalow on Shankarseth road was attacked in the evening.
• 1 December 1976 — The group attacked the Abhyankar bungalow Smriti on Bhandarkar road around 8 p.m.
• 23 March 1977 — Anil Gokhale was offered a lift home by Rajendra Jakkal on his motorcycle; he was taken to Jakkal’s shed and strangled with a nylon rope.
• 24 March 1977 — The body of Anil Gokhale surfaced near Yerawada.
• 30 March 1977 — The four were apprehended on 30 March 1977.
• 15 May 1978 — The case began on 15 May 1978 in the Pune district and lasted for more than four months.
• 28 September 1978 — The foursome were sentenced to death by Pune Sessions Court judge Waman Narayan Bapat.
• 6 April 1979 — Their sentences were confirmed by the Bombay High Court.
• 17 November 1980 — Their special leave petition against their convictions and sentences was dismissed by the Supreme Court on 17 November 1980.
• 27 November 1983 — The four were hanged at the Yerawada central jail.

Investigation

Investigation Assistant Commissioner of Police Madhusudan Hulyalkar led the investigation. Police Inspector Manikrao Damame led the police team that realized identifying similarities between murders.

After the Anil Gokhale killing, police realized the nylon ropes used to tie his body to the ladder had been fastened in a manner identical to the prior murders. This similarity linked the serial killings together. Hulyalkar realized that the people last seen in the company of the deceased had to know something about the crime.

The group were interrogated together and later individually. They contradicted each other about their joint movements in the city over the past week. Satish Gore, a colleague, broke down during police interrogation and confessed. Further confessions were made by another classmate, Suhas Chandak, who was a witness to the Hegde killing.

On information provided by the killers, the barrel containing Hegde’s remains was fished out of the Peshwe Park lake. The police also found a long list of incriminating evidence at Rajendra Jakkal’s shed on Karve road. Further checking recovered many of the items that had been stolen from the households of the Joshis and Abhyankars.

The conversation in which “Will the police find out now?” and “Don't worry, the boss will take care of the police.” was described as providing a vital clue.

Madhusudan Hulyalkar also reflected on studying the criminal mind.

Arrest

The four were apprehended on 30 March 1977. When the group were formally arrested on March 30, 1977, they recounted the serial killings in detail to the police.

Trial

The case began on 15 May 1978 in the Pune district and lasted for more than four months.

On 28 September 1978, they were sentenced to death by Pune Sessions Court judge Waman Narayan Bapat.

The sentences were confirmed by the Bombay High Court on 6 April 1979.

Appeals

Their special leave petition against their convictions and sentences was dismissed by the Supreme Court on 17 November 1980.

After both the High Court and Supreme Courts turned down their appeals, the accused approached the President of India for a pardon. The President of India did not concede, and the four were hanged at the Yerawada central jail on 27 November 1983.

Outcome

The President of India did not concede the pardon request. The four serial killers were hanged at the Yerawada central jail on 27 November 1983.

Other details

People and victims (with ages and roles stated)

• Prakash Hegde — Prakash was a colleague whose father, Sundar Hegde, ran a small hotel named Vishwa behind Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya. Prakash was also described as a student of Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya. Prakash was killed on the night of January 16, 1976.
• Sundar Hegde — Father of Prakash Hegde; ran the hotel Vishwa behind Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya.
• Su has Chandak — A classmate who picked up Prakash on a false pretext on 15 January 1976 and later was described as a witness to the Hegde killing.
• Achyut Joshi — From Vijaynagar; attacked on the night of 31 October 1976; killed by strangulation with a nylon rope.
• Usha — Wife of Achyut Joshi; suffocated after Achyut Joshi was killed.
• Anand — Joshi’s teenaged son; walked in after the murders; was stripped naked and strangulated with the same identical nylon rope.
• Yashomati Bafna — Bafna’s bungalow on Shankarseth road was attacked on the evening of 22 November 1976; the group faced resistance from her and two servants.
• Bafna’s two servants — resisted during the attack on 22 November; their details were not further specified.
• Kashinath Shastri Abhyankar — Noted Sanskrit scholar (88); his home Smriti was attacked on 1 December 1976; killed by strangulation with a nylon rope.
• Indirabai Abhyankar — Wife (76); killed by strangulation with a nylon rope.
• Sakubai Wagh — Maid (60); killed by strangulation with a nylon rope.
• Jai — Granddaughter (21); stripped naked and forced to direct them to valuables before being killed.
• Dhananjay — Grandson (19); had his mouth stuffed with a ball of cloth; tied; killed by strangulation with a nylon rope.
• Gajanan Abhyankar — Kashinath Shastri Abhyankar’s son; and his wife Hirabai; they were described as having gone out for dinner at the time of the 1 December 1976 attack.
• Anil Gokhale — Younger brother of Jayant Gokhale; offered a lift home on 23 March 1977; strangled and dumped in the Mula-Mutha river near Bund Garden; his body surfaced near Yerawada on 24 March.
• Jayant Gokhale — College friend of the killers; Anil’s brother; Anil was supposed to meet him at Alka Talkies.
• Satish Gore — Colleague; broke down and confessed during police interrogation.

Methods and conduct described

The group frequently robbed and indulged in drinking. They used rubber gloves leaving no fingerprints and sprayed a strong scent in the house to ward off sniffer dogs.

Ransom note detail

The group forced Prakash Hegde to write a runaway note to his father stating that he was leaving home. A ransom note was sent to Sundar Hegde the following day after Prakash’s death.

Sentencing details

On 28 September 1978, the foursome were sentenced to death by Pune Sessions Court judge Waman Narayan Bapat. Their sentences were confirmed by the Bombay High Court on 6 April 1979.

Execution details

They were hanged to death at the Yerawada central jail on 27 November 1983.

Films

The killings were associated with films including Maaficha Sakshidar (1986) starring Nana Patekar and Paanch (2003) by Anurag Kashyap.