The Butcher of Bareilly: How Kuldeep Kumar Gangwar Killed 9 Women in 14 Months

The women of Bareilly were disappearing.
For over a year, fear gripped the villages. Between June 2023 and July 2024, nine women were found dead in sugarcane fields. Their bodies lay hidden among the tall stalks, their lives cruelly stolen by an unseen hand. The killer moved like a ghost, striking and vanishing without a trace.
At first, the police thought these were isolated cases: a robbery gone wrong, a personal dispute, or an accident. But as the pattern emerged, a terrifying realization spread: a serial killer was on the loose. He had a signature strangulation, with the knots always tied to the left. He killed with precision, leaving behind no clues, no evidence. The people of Bareilly lived in fear, locking their doors before nightfall, whispering about the murderer who walked among them.
Then, in July 2024, the police caught a man: Kuldeep Kumar Gangwar.
When questioned, he simply smiled and confessed, "I killed six."
But if he admitted to six, who killed the other three?
And more importantly, was he telling the whole truth?

Or was he lying to mislead the police? And if there were more victims, how many? The horror of these unanswered questions still lingers.

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The Murderer's Identity

Kuldeep Kumar Gangwar, a 35-year-old man from Nawabganj, had always been troubled. He was full of anger, especially towards women, because of his father’s second marriage. His childhood was filled with violence, and that rage grew inside him like a disease.
In 2014, he got married. But his marriage was a disaster. He was abusive, cruel, and controlling. Eventually, his wife left him. Something inside him snapped after that. He didn’t just feel abandoned—he felt humiliated. And his hatred towards women turned into something even darker. To the outside world, Kuldeep seemed like just another ordinary man. But inside, a storm was building. A storm that would soon turn him into a monster.

The First Kill: The Beginning of a Nightmare

On June 5, 2023, it all began. A 45-year-old woman left her home to buy medicine but never returned. Days later, her lifeless body was found in a sugarcane field. Her identity was reduced to a pair of slippers and a sari wrapped tightly around her neck.

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At first, people thought it was just an isolated crime. But then, more women started disappearing. One after another, they vanished—always middle-aged or elderly. Always found in sugarcane fields. Always strangled with their sari. And there was one strange detail: the killer always tied the knots to the left side of their bodies.
For a while, the killings stopped. But only because it was sugarcane harvest season. Once the fields were cleared, there was nowhere to hide the bodies. Then, in July 2024, as the new sugarcane crops grew tall again, the murders resumed. Another woman. Another body. Another nightmare.

The Hunt for the Butcher

By the time police realized a serial killer was at work, three more women had already been murdered in 2024. Investigators launched a massive operation: ''Operation Talaash''. They installed over 1,500 CCTV cameras across the villages, looking for anything that could lead them to the killer. They conducted house-to-house questioning, created sketches, and analyzed phone records.
But Kuldeep was careful. Not once was he caught on any camera. Not a single witness saw him with the victims. He left no fingerprints, no footprints, no signs of struggle. It was as if he disappeared into thin air after every kill. 

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Then, a strange clue emerged. A tea stall owner reported a man who often spoke about the murders, boasting that the police would never catch the killer. This led to two police sketches, which matched one man: Kuldeep Kumar Gangwar. When he was arrested, he showed no fear. No guilt. No regret. “I killed six, ” he said. As if it were nothing.

But isn't it strange that a psycho and mentally ill person could use the most of his brain to escape from 1,500 cameras and still not found? Was he the real Serial Killer or he was just a scapegoat for the real killer?

The Confession: "I Killed Six"

Kuldeep showed no fear, no regret. He called his victims "shikaar"—prey.“I killed six,” he admitted, as casually as if he were talking about a daily routine.
But what about the other three victims? If he only accepted responsibility for six, who killed the remaining women? Was he protecting someone else? Was there another killer hiding in the shadows?At that time, many victims’ families refused to believe that Kuldeep was the murderer. They thought he was just a scapegoat. Some even believed the real killer was still out there, watching, waiting.
The mystery deepened.

The Mind of a Monster

Kuldeep’s hatred for women didn’t begin overnight. It had been growing inside him for years. As a child, he had watched his father mistreat his mother. That violence became normal for him. Later, when his wife left him, he felt betrayed. He didn’t just want revenge on her—he wanted revenge on all women.

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But he didn’t kill for money or out of necessity. He killed because it gave him power. It made him feel in control. And he didn’t just take lives—he kept souvenirs. Lipstick, bindis, and small pieces of jewelry. These weren’t just random objects. They were trophies. Proof of his crimes. A way to relive his murders again and again.

Could He Have Been Stopped Earlier?

For over a year, Kuldeep roamed free. He killed in broad daylight, yet no one suspected him. Was it the vast sugarcane fields that hid his crimes? Was it because his victims were older women, people no one thought would be targeted? Or was it because the investigation moved too slowly?
His capture revealed a terrifying truth: Serial killers don’t always look like monsters. Sometimes, they blend in. They are just another face in the crowd. How many times had the people of Bareilly unknowingly crossed paths with him? How many times had they stood next to him at the market or passed him on the street? The thought alone is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.

The End of the Nightmare?

Kuldeep is now behind bars. But is it truly the end?
The families of his victims still mourn. And the most chilling question remains unanswered: Were there more victims? Could there be more killers still out there?
The sugarcane fields of Bareilly hold many secrets. Some have been uncovered. Others may never be. For now, Kuldeep Kumar Gangwar is locked away. But as history has shown, there are always others waiting in the shadows.
How many more monsters are still hiding among us?