Satish (Bahadurgarh baby killer)

Satish
Born c. 1973
Nationality Indian
Occupation factory worker
Criminal penalty Life sentence
Criminal status in prison
Conviction(s) Murder
Rape
Killings
Span of killings
 1995–1998
Country India
State(s) Haryana
Location(s) Bahadurgarh
Target(s) Girls in age group 5–9 years
Killed 10
Date apprehended
 20 November 1998

Satish is an Indian pedophile and serial killer. He was active in the Bahadurgarh city of Haryana during 1995–1998. He confessed to having kidnapped and attempted to rape 14 girls, and having murdered 10 of them. The police were able to confirm his involvement in 12 of these cases, including the 10 murders. All his victims were aged between 5 and 9 years. Therefore, he is also known as the Bahadurgarh baby killer, baby being an affectionate term for a young girl in Indian English.

Since 1995, the police's inability to catch Satish had led to several protests by the residents of Bahadurgarh. Under pressure, the police prosecuted 3 men as the Bahadurgarh baby killer, but the murders did not stop. Satish was finally caught in 1998, when his last victim led the police to him. He was convicted for 12 sexual assaults and 10 murders, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Early life

Satish had come to Bahadurgarh from Ghaziabad along with his parents.[1] In Bahadurgarh, he lived at the home of his father Brij Pal, in the Netaji Nagar locality. At the time of his arrest in 1998, he was 25 years old.[2]

Victims

The police confirmed Satish to have been involved in kidnapping and rape or attempted rape of 12 young girls, 10 of whom he killed:

Victims of Satish, the Bahadurgarh baby killer[2][3][1][4]
# Victim Date of disappearance Description
1 Pooja, 8-year-old girl 16 February 1995 Went missing from Netaji Nagar. At 7.30 PM, Pooja and other members of her family had come out of their house to witness a marriage procession. After the procession departed, Pooja was found to be missing. On 25 February, her decomposed body was found in a hut, in a mustard field.
2 Sheetal, 7-year-old girl 11–12 July 1995 On the night of 11–12 July, Sheetal, her uncle and her grandmother were sleeping in front of their house. Her mother and her two brothers were sleeping on the roof of the house. Her father, a CRPF employee, was not at home at the time. At 3 AM, her mother woke up and discovered that she was missing. On 14 July 1995, Sheetal's dead body was found in half-naked state, in a gitwar (enclosure) nearby. The post-mortem indicated that she had been raped before being killed.
3 Karuna alias Kuki, 5–6-year-old girl 11 September 1995 Went missing from somewhere near her house in Nehru Nagar. Around 1 pm, she went to a nearby shop to purchase salt, but did not return. On 12 September, her dead body was found in a field in Parnala village.
4 Jony, 6-year-old girl 14 October 1995 Jony's mother had assumed that she had gone out with her uncle Sudesh at 2:10 pm. However, when Sudesh returned home at 2:30 pm, he told her that he had left the girl outside the house playing. After an unsuccessful search, Jony's mother lodged a police complaint at 9:15 pm. Next day, on 15 October, Jony's dead body was found at 2 pm.
5 Pinki, 5-year-old girl 4 January 1996 First victim to survive, she was found lying unconscious on a vacant plot. Satish apparently left thinking that she was dead.
6 Sweta alias Sweety, 6-year-old girl 9 January 1996 Sweta went out to play with other children, but did not return home. Her sister Anjana told her mother that a bicyclist had taken her away, but could not give a full description of the kidnapper. Another child Charu revealed that she had been picked up by a person with a shawl, on the pretext that her mother had called her. On 10 January, her dead body was found in Parnala village.
7 Salma alias Janno 12 June 1996 Janno was kidnapped, while sleeping in front of her house, with her parents. Her father Salamudin woke up at 4 pm, and discovered that his daughter was missing. The family later found her dead body in a ditch of water near Badro canal.
8 Shanti, 5–6 years old 14 March 1997 Shanti was the daughter of a Nepali, who was working as a watchman at a local godown. She went missing from her house. On the morning of 15 March, her dead body was recovered from a pond in Parnala village.
9 Manju, 7-year-old girl 21 June 1997 Raped and killed on 22 June.
10 Komal alias Kinty, 9-year-old girl October 1997 Her dead body was found in naked state on 8 October 1997.
11 Aarti, 9-year-old girl 6 September 1998 Satish kidnapped her from Shankar Garden area, while she and her family were sleeping in an open compound. He took her to a drain across the fields, and attempted to rape her before strangulating her to death. Aarti's father Dinesh was working the night shift at Vijulka factory on the night of 6–7 September. At 3 am, his son came to him and told him that Aarti was missing. He then lodged a missing person complaint at the M.I.E. Area police post. Aarti's dead body was found on a vacant plot in the M.I.E. Area on 9 September.
12 Somani, 6-year-old girl 19 November 1998 Kidnapped while returning from her father's tea stall, in front of chappal factory. Satish raped her twice at his house. When she became unconscious, he threw her in a field, presmuing her to be dead. On the morning of 20 November, a passerby found her weeping near a bridge, and took her to the police station. She led the police to Satish's house, where he had kept her overnight.

After his arrest, Satish had confessed to have raped or attempted to rape 14 girls. He also confessed to have killed 10 of these girls. He did not know the names of any of his victims. A summary of his confessional statement is given below:[2]

  1. Kidnapped a girl from between Ghevra turning and Nizampur village. Left her in the field of wheat nearby road of Bamnouli turning.
  2. Kidnapped a girl aged about 8–9 years from a marriage function at Gali No. 4, Netaji Nagar, at about 9:10 pm on a winter night. Took her to a mustard field, and attempted to rape her. Murdered her by strangling her throat.
  3. Kidnapped a girl aged about 8–9 years from Parnala village. Took her to Bidoras, and tried to rape her. Murdered her by strangling her throat.
  4. Kidnapped a sleeping girl from somewhere near the Bahadurgarh bus stand. Took her to Parnala village, tried to rape her and murdered her.
  5. Kidnapped a girl from a Ramlila function at Nahra Nahri Road. Took her to Kothra in Parnala village. Tried to rape her.
  6. Kidnapped a girl from Nehru Park. Tried to rape her in the field of Dencha, between Parnala and Nizampur. Not sure if she died or lived.
  7. Kidnapped a girl from somewhere near a temple located beside a road leading to Nehru Park. Took her to Kothra in Parnala village, tried to rape her and murder her. Came to know later that she lived.
  8. Kidnapped a girl from school near sabzi mandi during the day, in summer season. Took her towards Parnala, tried to rape her in the vacant plot. Murdered her by strangling her throat.
  9. Kidnapped a girl aged about 7 years, from Shankar Garden. Took her to a park, tried to rape her, and murdered her by strangling her throat.
  10. Kidnapped a 7–8-year-old girl from somewhere near a pencil Factory. Tried to rape her beside the nala near a bridge. Murdered her by strangling her throat.
  11. Kidnapped a girl from Bamnouli turning. Took her near Chour Paiu. Tried to rape her near a pipal tree. Murdered her and threw the dead body there.
  12. Kidnapped a girl from her house in Shankar Garden. Took her near a nala, tried to rape her and murdered her.
  13. Kidnapped a girl from the M.I.E. Area at night. Took her to a vacant plot, tried to rape her and murdered her by strangling her throat. Then felt sorry, went near her house, and tried to wake up a lady.
  14. Kidnapped a girl from somewhere near a chappal factory around midday. Took her to his house, and kept her there overnight. Tried to rape her twice. His young brother and sister were present in the house at that time; Satish told them that the girl was the daughter of a contractor. Next morning, he took the girl near a vacant factory, strangled her and ran away. (This was Somani, the girl who survived and led the police to him).

Investigations

First bogus arrest: Raj Kumar

Satish's first victim was Pooja, who was killed in February 1995. Her father was employed in the Union Home Ministry, and as a result, the police was under pressure to apprehend the culprit quickly. The police arrested Raj Kumar alias Raja, and claimed that he had confessed the crime. However, Raja was later acquitted after being imprisoned for 18 months.[1]

While Raja was still under police custody, Satish raped and killed a 7-year-old girl in July 1995. After Satish's third crime in September 1995, the police started looking for a serial criminal. When the fourth girl was killed in October 1995, the angry locals organized dharnas. The police authorities transferred the in-charge of the local police station, and intensified patrolling in the area. The police also asked the citizens to keep an eye on their children, especially young girls, and report any supicious elements. However, there was no progress in the investigation.[3]

Second bogus arrest: Ram Babu

In January 1996, Satish raped and kidnapped two girls in a five-day period. The locals intensified their protests, and organized bandhs. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DGP) and the District Superintendent of Police (SP) camped in Bahadurgarh to supervise the investigation themselves. The police also explored the possibility of the killer being a resident of the neighbouring Delhi, and involved Delhi Police in the investigations.[3]

The Delhi Police arrested Ram Babu, an allegedly mentally retarted man, and claimed the ₹ 50,000 prize that Haryana police had announced for arresting the "Bahadurgarh baby killer".[1] A resident of Bihar, Ram Babu was arrested from a dhaba on the Delhi-Rohtak road, near Nangloi.[5]

Meanwhile, Satish continued killing more girls, and it became apparent that Ram Babu was not the "baby killer". On 16 August 1998, three months before Satish was caught, 32-year-old Ram Babu was killed in prison, after having spent 30 months in prison. Om Prakash, another undertrial prisoner lodged in the prison's mental ward, hit him on the head with a brick, resulting in his death.[5][6]

The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), who interviewed Ram Babu, later stated:[7]

“ In his 30s, neither did he appear mentally deranged nor given to perversity. He kept smiling through his 'interrogation' and did not admit to remorse, even after 'confessing' to having murdered 70 women. But we could not make out whether he was lying. He didn't make any admissions except when given 'suggestions'. When prompted, he talked with so much ease about how he disposed of the bodies of his victims that one tended to disbelieve him. The peculiar thing about him was that he sang lewd songs. He would talk about sex and the mere mention of a certain film actress would make him blush and indulge in an 'expressed gratification' using verbal rhymes and making 'appropriate and overt ' sexual gestures. We consulted psychiatrists, who rubbished our theory by saying that regular sexual fantasising, in an overt or covert way, does create a kind of catharsis — resulting in the person being less likely to commit sexual assault. ”

Third bogus arrest: Shankar Kumar

On 22 June 1997, Satish killed 7-year old Manju. On 10 July 1997, the police arrested Shankar Kumar, a resident of Begusarai in Bihar. The police claimed that he had attempted to abduct Aarti, a young girl from Subhash Nagar locality of Bahadurgarh. SSP A.S. Chawla claimed that Shankar had confessed to having kidnapped and murdered Manju.[6]

The police's claim of having arrested the baby killer was exposed as hollow, when Satish raped and killed 9-year-old girl Kinty. Her dead body was found in a naked state on 8 October 1997. The discovery led to a violent public protest in the city on 9 October.[1] A riot-like situation developed in the city, and the police resorted to firing to control the infuriated mobs, killing two youths. Contingent units of the Central Reserve Police Force were called in to assist the local police.[3] The case was handed over to the Crime Branch.[1] Seeing the massive mobilization of police forces in the city, Satish remained inactive for the next 11 months.[3]

Arrest

After nearly an year of inactivity, Satish committed another crime in September 1998. He kidnapped a 9-year-old girl from her family's compound at night. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Suman Manjari organized an Anti-Crime Committee of influential citizens to spread awareness and mobilize support against the killer. She also met with the local chamber of commerce, who announced a prize of ₹ 10,000 for helping the police to catch the killer.[3]

On 18 November 1998, Satish kidnapped 6-year old Somani, while she was returning from her father's tea stall. DSP Suman Manjari supervised the search and the investigation, but could not make any headway.[3] Satish raped her twice at his house. When she became unconscious, he threw her in a field near his house, presuming her to be dead.[1]

On 20 November, a man named Umid Singh saw Somani weeping in the dry flood channel near a bridge. He asked the girl her name and address, but she did not tell him anything except her name. Singh took her to the Modern Industrial Area police station. The local police officer realized that the girl must have been a victim of the baby killer, and informed the DSP. The DSP came to the police station, and talked to the girl affectionately. Somani then revealed that she had been kidnapped by a bicyclist. She described the kidnapper as having a thin beard and a dark complexion. She also led the police to a house across the Railway Line, where she had been kept overnight by the criminal.[3] At the house, Satish's brother told the police that he was working at a tin factory, from where the police arrested him.[2]

After Satish's arrest, the Haryana Police asked the Delhi Police to return the prize money they had claimed for arresting Ram Babu. The Delhi Police returned the money, which was then given to Somani.[1]

Conviction

According to the police, Satish appeared to be a "mentally deranged sex pervert".[3] During 10–23 December, he was kept under the observation of Dr. Rajiv Gupta at PGIMS Rohtak. Dr. Gupta concluded that Satish did not suffer from any psychotic disorder, but had a "neurotic type of personality". Satish confessed to 14 crimes. On 22 December 1998, the Magistrate was satisfifed that his confession was voluntary. Satish retracted his confession later, but the court relied on other evidence to convict him.[2] The details of kidnappings, rapes and murders provided by him were corroborated by other evidence.[3] For example, in the Aarti murder case (Victim #11), he had been produced before lie detection expert Dr. Bibha Rani on 1 December 1998, and his description of the crime matched the existing evidence in the case.[2]

Satish was sentenced to life imprisonment. The court did not find his crime to be "rarest of the rare", which qualifies for the death sentence.[1] In 2008, the Punjab and Haryana High Court rejected the Haryana Government's appeal to award him a death sentence.[8] The court declared:[2]

“ In the present case, the accused is already in custody for 10 years. The trial court thought it fit not to impose death sentence. The offence committed is very heinous and though, it may be one of the rarest cases, after weighing all the circumstances, taking a 'global' view, we are of the view that extreme penalty of death sentence is not called for. However, while affirming life imprisonment, we direct that the accused will not be released from custody before completion of 20 years of actual sentence. ”

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Yoginder Gupta (2007-01-16). "Nithari-like case at Bahadurgarh". The Tribune.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Satish vs The State Of Haryana on 21 January, 2008". Punjab-Haryana High Court. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dalbir Bharti (2006). Police And People : Role And Responsibilities. APH Publishing. pp. 204–209. ISBN 978-81-313-0045-9.
  4. ↑ "Life term for serial girl killer". The Tribune. Chandigarh. 2002-12-22.
  5. 1 2 "Serial killer killed in jail". The Tribune. 1998-08-16.
  6. 1 2 ""Baby killer" murdered in jail". Indian Express. 1998-08-17.
  7. ↑ "Inside the mind of a serial killer". Indian Express. 2007-01-11.
  8. ↑ "Serial killer's life spared". The Times of India. 2008-01-23.
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