Sadashiv Sahu

Case record

Sadashiv Sahu was identified as the suspect in a series of mystery killings of middle-aged men in Fursatganj, a small town in northern India.

Background

Residents of Fursatganj, in northern India, wondered whether they could “sleep easy” after Sadashiv Sahu’s arrest. The killings involved middle-aged men in the town in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Sadashiv Sahu was described as a 57-year-old local cloth merchant.

Neighbours of Sahu said he never posed any problems. Shiv Singh, a local chemist who said he had known Sahu for a long time, said:

“He barely spoke to anyone. Whenever he was free we would see him deeply engrossed in reading holy books,”

Balmati Devi said her husband had no enemies and expressed anger about the choice of victim. She said:

“My husband had no enemies. Please go and ask the heartless man why he chose my husband and left me alone to fend for our six children,”

Brjeish Singh said there was no reason to feel relieved as yet. He said:

“There is no reason for us to feel relieved as yet. If things remain peaceful for another six months, we will know that the real culprit has been arrested,”

The offence

Police said Sahu confessed to killing 22 men living in Fursatganj over the past four years. Police said his first killing occurred in April 2002, and they said he allegedly claimed his last victim, described as a 60-year-old man, in November.

Police said all the victims were over 45 years old.

In his eight-page-long confession, Sahu described a “strange urge” to kill. He said:

“I don't know what came over me. I was overpowered by a strange urge to kill my prey,” He also said that after committing the murders he would return home and have a “very peaceful sleep”.

A senior local police official, BP Srivastava, said Sahu used to “hunt” for unwary middle-aged men after dusk. Srivastava said:

“He adopted similar methods in carrying out the killings. He would shoot his victims with the gun pressed against their chests to muffle the noise,”

Investigation

Police stated that there had been no murders in the Fursatganj area after the arrest. A senior local police official, Sanjay Srivastava, said they would file a charge sheet before the first week of February.

Arrest

Sahu was arrested in Fursatganj after being accused of being responsible for the killings.

Trial

Sahu’s legal status was not stated in the provided text beyond being accused in connection with the killings; it described him as having confessed.

Other details

When interviewed at the local police station, Sahu admitted to the killing of the 60-year-old man in November but denied responsibility for the other killings. He said:

“All I want you to do is help me get hold of a good lawyer,”

Sceptical villagers questioned the police claim that he was responsible for all the killings, including Brijesh Singh, whose 60-year-old cousin had been killed three years earlier.