Rahul Jat, an alleged serial killer from Haryana, was arrested by Gujarat police for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old girl in Valsad. Jat is suspected of multiple crimes across four states, including Karnataka, West Bengal, Telangana, and Maharashtra.

Key Details

  • Victim Details: The 19-year-old girl was attacked, raped, and murdered while returning home from tuitions near Udvada railway station on November 14.
  • Crime Pattern: Jat targeted lone passengers, looted, raped, and murdered victims, often in trains and at railway stations.
  • Previous Crimes:
    • Murder and rape near Solapur railway station (Maharashtra).
    • Stabbing an elderly man to death near Howrah railway station (West Bengal).
    • Killing a passenger in Mulki, Karnataka.

Police Operation

  • Joint effort by local and railway police; Jat was arrested at Vapi railway station.
  • Over 2,000 CCTV cameras in Vapi, Valsad, Surat, and Udvada were analyzed.
  • Jat had over a dozen cases of theft, illegal arms smuggling, and violence in Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, and Uttarakhand.

Modus Operandi

  • Frequently moved across states, sleeping on trains and platforms to evade detection.
  • Targeted women, often in coaches for differently-abled passengers.
  • Committed crimes during brief stints in cities, including a visit to Valsad for his hotel salary collection.

Conclusion

Rahul Jat’s arrest highlights the challenges of tracking itinerant criminals and the importance of inter-state cooperation in tackling serial offenses.

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