When Madhya Pradesh police nabbed this "innocent-looking" tailor from Bhopal last week, what he revealed left all of them aghast. Aadesh Khambra, 48, who stitched clothes for a living, disclosed that he had murdered at least 33 truck drivers in the past eight years.
Khambra also claimed he had carried out contract killings too and had worked with at least six inter-state gangs.
When grilled by the police, Khambra revealed his 'simple' modus operandi. He would befriend drivers in roadside restaurants and drug their food so they would fall asleep. He would then drive their trucks to isolated areas, strangle them and their helpers, and dump the bodies in jungle.
Later, he along with his accomplices would sell the trucks and the booty.
On August 12, a truck carrying 50 tonnes of iron rods left for Bhopal but it was reported missing. A private company lodged a complaint in this regard. Later, police found the body of the truck driver Makhan Singh in Bilkhiriya area and also recovered the empty truck from Ayodhya Nagar in Bhopal on August 15. Police arrested seven people, who sold and purchased the iron rods. The arrested persons told the police about one Jaikaran Prajapati who in turn named Khambra as the brain behind the crime.
We arrested Khambra from Mandideep, said police officer Rahul Kumar Lodha.
Police said Khambra used to get Rs 50000 for every murder. When he joined the gang, his motive was to make money but a few years ago his son met with an accident and he had to take loans for his treatment. He got involved in more crimes to repay the debt.
Initially, SP Lodha said, police did not suspect him due to his calm and composed nature. But he and other officers had the shock of their lives when an unrepentant Khambra revealed his murders.
The police said they are now interrogating him with the help of a psychologist to dig more into the case.