Yet the family of Souvik Pal welcome Prof Jackson’s comments. “We’re not sure about a serial killer, and don’t want to jump to the conclusion that he was murdered, but there is someone who knows something,” says Gemma Hale, a friend who was with Souvik on the night he disappeared and speaks on behalf of his father, Santanu, who lives in India. “It took 22 days to find Souvik and he was just 50 metres away from the club we were in. For his family and friends, it has been really difficult to live, not knowing what happened to him… Hopefully, if we can raise more awareness about the deaths, the police will be forced to reopen some of the cases.”