Prolific South Asian Serial Killers

Any true crime junky would have noticed that we don’t really tend to hear or read about South Asian serial killers on any popular true-crime platform.

At some point, I wondered if there were any notable ones and after a bit of digging, I discovered, albeit, unfortunately, they do exist.

So, in light of Halloween here is a list of the most dreadful ones and the harrowing stories of how they killed their victims.

Charles Sobhraj

He operated during the 1970s and was later given the names ‘The Serpent’, ‘The Bikini Killer’ and ‘The Splitting Killer’.

Having spent most of his life in France he is of Indian and Vietnamese descent and targeted tourists in South and Southeast Asia.

He got involved in petty crime and fraud at a very early age and evaded French authorities by scamming his way into Mumbai.

He continued his criminal lifestyle and was arrested but after serving a short sentence he was once again on the run making his way through various countries and continuing in his illicit ways.

Eventually, he had a few accomplices -  they would target western tourists whom they would drug, rob and in some cases kill. Investigators believe he has killed around 30 people although he initially admitted to only twelve. He is currently serving a life sentence in Nepal.

Want to know more? →  There is a BBC/ Netflix documentary made about him and his victims called ‘The Serpent’ and a Bollywood movie called ‘Main aur Charles’.

K D Kempamma

She was also given the name Cyanide Mallika and was one of South Asia’s, and India’s first, female serial killers.

The motivation for her crimes was wealth and she targeted women at temples for their cash and gold. The more she acquired the more she rose in wealth and status, making the local police suspicious.

She operated in Bangalore in the early 2000s and killed 6 women with Cyanide. She was eventually arrested and given the death sentence which was later overturned to a life sentence.

Javed Iqbal

Iqbal confessed to the murders he had committed by sending a letter to the police. He described in detail how he carried them out and what makes it more horrifying is that his victims were all young boys.

It is estimated that he went on the spree during the late 80s into the 90s. Upon his confession it was proposed that he should be given the death penalty and for it to be done in the same way his victims suffered. However, it was deemed unethical, and he committed suicide as a means to evade justice.

Amarjeet Sada

He is also known as the world’s youngest serial killer because by the time he was eight he was responsible for the death of three children younger than him. 

He was believed to have murdered his six-year-old cousin and his eight-month-year-old sister. However, the incidents went unreported as it was considered “a family matter’.

This was up until he murdered his neighbor’s daughter, and the incident was reported to the police in 2006. 

He showed no remorse when being questioned by authorities and admitted to all three murders but barely spoke otherwise and smiled a lot. It was deemed by psychologists that the boy was a "sadist who derives pleasure from inflicting injuries"

Since he was a child, he could not be placed in prison, but it is said that he was put in a child home where he was until the age of eighteen. His whereabouts are currently unknown.

Raman Raghav

Also labeled as the Jack the Ripper of India he was active during the mid-1960s. His first round of murders took place in 1965-1966. During this period, he attacked 19 people and killed around 9. His next round of murders took place in 1968 and he killed 12 people. This is when he was taken into custody by the Maharashtra police on September 27th.  

His victims were usually those from underprivileged backgrounds. After his first spree police apprehended him but later released him due to insufficient evidence. 

However, after a manhunt was carried out in 1968 after his second spree and he was arrested. He ended up confessing to killing 41 people. Although, there was a strong possibility could’ve been more victims.

He was given the death penalty, but this was reduced to life imprisonment after he was found to be incurably mentally ill. He died in 1995. 

Bio: Sonali is currently pursuing journalism in the UK and is an avid writer who loves exploring topics related to arts, lifestyle, culture, and representation. Her journalistic aspirations also involve investigative reporting but outside of this she also enjoys indulging in poetry, acting, and dancing.

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