Train ticket helps Secunderabad railway police nab serial killer

The Secunderabad Government Railway Police (GRP) on Thursday arrested the serial killer identified as Rahul alias Bholu, 29, a driver, from Rohtak district in Haryana on charges of killing a woman, Ramanamma on Belagavi-Manuguru express on November 23, 2024.

Forty-six-year-old Ramanamma of Ballari in Karnataka went to Torangal railway station and boarded Belagavi-Manuguru special express to visit her daughter’s house in Hyderabad. He informed her relatives that she was mistakenly travelling in the coach meant for differently abled persons instead of ladies coach.

At around 8 pm, Rahul boarded the same coach at Ballari and Ramanamma, who sat on the lower berth, questioned Rahul as to why he boarded the women’s coach.

Rahul replied that he would get down at the next station as the train was moving. While the accused was smoking a beedi near the coach door, Ramanamma warned him not to smoke, or else she would call the police.

Enraged over this, Rahul snatched her mobile phone and kept it with him. Later, he wrapped a red towel around her throat and strangled her to death. He then locked the coach doors and stole Rs.25,000 and a small keypad mobile phone from her bag.

Further, Rahul removed the SIM card from her mobile phone and discarded it from the moving train. He then deboarded the train at Yadgir railway station with the stolen money and phone. The next day he reached Vapi railway station when the Pardi police apprehended him.

After being grilled, he voluntarily admitted that he committed several offences including four more murder and rape cases. In October 2024, he killed a woman passenger in Pune-Kanyakumari train by strangling her to death.

After a week, he murdered an elderly passenger in Husnur-Mangalore train in a similar manner. He killed a girl and raped her in the limits of Udwara police station in Gujarat and in Novermber 2024 he killed one more elderly passenger in Kathihar-Howrah train by strangling to death.

Secunderabad GRP Inspector B.Saieashwar Goud told Deccan Chronicle on Thursday that Rahul was caught by the Paridi police while carrying out surprise inspection. “They (Pardi police) checked Rahul’s bag and found a general train ticket purchased by Ramanamma along with her mobile phone and Rs.25,000 in cash. They later checked with us,” he said.

Goud further said Ramanamma’s murder came to light when her relatives checked the coach after the train reached Secunderabad railway station and found her dead with blood oozing from her nose. Rahul’s red towel was also wrapped around her neck. “We brought Rahul to Hyderabad on a prisoner’s transit warrant and produced him in the court,” Goud added.