Serial killer who struck on trains caught in Guj

A serial killer who allegedly murdered multiple passengers on trains across different states, including a disabled tabla player and a college student whom he reportedly raped, was arrested in Gujarat's Valsad district, police officials from two states said on Tuesday.

- HT Correspondents

The accused, identified as Rahul Jat, 30, from Rohtak in Haryana, was apprehended on November 24 following a multi-state operation while he was travelling on a Bandra-Bhuj train, Valsad superintendent of police Karanraj Vaghela said.

The breakthrough came after the murder of the 19-year-old college student near Udvada railway station in Valsad district on November 14. "The victim was returning home from tuition classes near Udvada railway station when she was attacked. Her body was found in a mango orchard near the railway tracks, with evidence of sexual assault and strangulation," Vaghela said.

Despite initial challenges due to lack of CCTV coverage at the crime scene, investigators identified the suspect through his distinctive limp at Vapi railway station. Staff at Surat's Lajpore Central Jail later identified him as Rahul, who also goes by the name Bholu, leading to a joint operation involving police forces from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.