Bhopal, Sep 2 : In a major breakthrough, Madhya Pradesh Police on Friday apprehended serial killer Shivprasad who is only about 20 years old but infamously termed the ‘Stoneman of Sagar’ as he is allegedly responsible for five homicides that made him synonymous with terror.
Four of the murders were committed over a brief period of the past three days in Sagar district and the fifth in the state capital where the perpetrator was arrested by a law-enforcement team from Sagar. The vital clue leading up to the arrest was a cellular phone stolen by the murderer from the third victim. The targets were people asleep outdoors at night and watchmen.
Heartily felicitating the officers and men who arrested Shivprasad, Home Minister Narottam Mishra told media representatives, “The Sagar incidents were blind murders therefore apprehending the accused was definitely an uphill task. An Aadhaar card resulted in identification of Shivprasad as a resident of Sagar’s Kesli (tehsil). Interrogation is underway.”
The final victim Sonu Verma (23) was a guard at a marble shop in Khajoori Sadak Police Station limits. He dozed off during the intervening night and was targeted using a marble slab. CCTV footage provided crucial inputs.
The case brought back chilling memories of the Kolkata Stoneman – an unidentified killer who in 1989 slew at least 13 homeless people in the West Bengal capital during their sleep – the matter remains a mystery. A similar series was witnessed in Mumbai from 1985 to 1988. It has been conjectured that these were the handiwork of the same individual, who could have perpetrated as many as 26 homicides.
Producer Bobby Bedi’s The Stoneman Murders is based on these killings. In 2011, a Bangla film Baishe Srabon – directed by Srijit Mukherji – had a similar theme.
