india

Updated: Jan 25, 2019 23:40 IST

A 38-year-old man who has killed 10 people over the past six months , all in Allahabad and its environs, and who was planning to kill two seers at the Kumbh Mela, was arrested from the fair area itself on Friday.

Three others who were attacked by the man are still fighting for their lives in hospital.

According to Special Superintendent of Police of Allahabad Nitin Tiwari, the accused, identified as Kaluwa aka Sai Baba alias Subhas, a resident of Basehara village under Lalapur police station of Allahabad district— attacked sleeping individuals with sharp-edged weapons. He said that footage from CCTV cameras finally helped capture the serial killer.

He said that the 10 murders committed by the accused were in different localities of the city including the old city area, Kydganj, parade ground and the Kumbh mela area. These included the murders of two labourers sleeping in Durga Park in Bai-Ka-Bagh locality in Kydganj on July 4, 2018, the murder of a sleeping man in parade ground area under Daraganj police station on November 27, 2018 and of another labourer sleeping in Kotha Parcha locality under Kotwali police station on December 24, 2018, he added.

The motive for these killings wasn’t immediately clear.

Police added that the accused also slit the throat of a man sleeping near Triveni Darshan hotel in Kydganj on January 10; attacked three persons sleeping on the footpath 150 metres before the Shastri Bridge under Daraganj police station with sharp edged weapons on January 18, 2019 resulting in the death of two; and more recently killed sleeping man in the Kumbh mela area near Akhada police station area and left two others seriously injured.

The SSP said that in all cases, the accused would cover the face of his victims with their own garments. The police recovered two sharp-edged weapons including an axe and a wooden bat used in the crimes from Kaluwa’s possession. ADG Zone SN Sabat has announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for the police team that managed to arrest the accused.