The incident was recorded on a CCTV camera and the accused can be purportedly seen coming inside the doors wearing trousers and a sweater and carrying the rod.
Press Trust of India | Palwal (Haryana) Last Updated at January 2, 2018 18:54 IST
Retired Army General (Photo: twitter.com/samachar_plus)
A retired Armycaptain, believed to be mentally ill, today allegedly bludgeoned six persons to deathwith a rod in a killing spree here that lasted about two hours, police said.
The accused, identified as Naresh Dhankhad(45), went on the rampage between 2 to 4 am in a two km stretch between AgraChowk and Camp Colony, taking advantage of low visibility due dense fog.
He killed his first victim in the second floor of a private hospital, before hitting the streets to kill five others and injure one.
A resident of Macchgar near Ballabhgarh, Dhankhad also attacked the policemen when they tried to nab him.
He had joined the Armyin 1999 as a lieutenantand taken retirement on medical grounds in 2003. He then joined the HaryanaAgriculture department as an assistant developmentofficerin 2006, a police spokespersonsaid.
He was working as a sub-divisional officerwith the Health Department.
His first victim was a woman named Anjum who was an attendant of a person admitted in the ICU of the hospital. She was sleeping on the second floor where the accused managed to gain entry, Palwal Superintendentof Police Sulochana Gajraj said.
The incident was recorded on a CCTV camera and the accused can be purportedly seen coming inside the doors wearing trousers and a sweater and carrying the rod.
He then went to AgraRoad intersection where he killed three more people. Then a little farther, he killed two others by repeatedly hitting them on the head.
Gajraj said as soon as the police received information, they started sending people, who were either sleeping or working outside, indoors.
She said checkpoints were set up in the town, which is 80 km from Delhi. "When we zeroed-in on him, he was searching for another target and almost had his seventh victim as he had injured him," she said.
He was arrested around 7 am when he was roaming in a street near a private hospital in Palwal, the SP said, adding that thick fog in the town had reduced visibility making it easy for the accused to target the victims.
Dhankar tried to resist arrest and even assaulted the policemen before being overpowered, she said.
The SP said that Dhankar appeared to be mentally ill. However, doctors would be able to throw more light on this, she added.
"He appeared to be mentally ill and looked highly aggressive. Preliminary investigations have revealed that he had strained relations with his wife and two children," she said.
She said the accused, who has been booked on murdercharge, was referred to the civil hospital at Faridabad. His psychological evaluation would be carried out.
Deputy Superintendentof Police Abhimanyu Lohan said prima facie it seemed that he carried out the killings without a reason.
A high alert was sounded in the city, the police spokespersonsaid.
The spokespersonsaid Dhakhad got married 10 years ago and separated from his wife four years later. Dhankad was the youngest of five brothers.
His brother, Chandrapal, claimed that Dhankhad was mentally ill and was being treated by a doctor in Muradnagar, the spokespersonsaid.
He claimed that his brother had completed MSc from HaryanaAgriculture University in Hisar where he was one of toppers.
A doctor at the hospital at Faridabadwhere the accused was brought by the police told reporters that he was unconscious at the time he was wheeled in.
The neighbours at the place, where the former Armyofficerlived, told reporters that he did not like to interact much and preferred to be alone.
Mentally ill retired Army captain goes on rampage in Palwal, kills six
Press Trust of India | Palwal (Haryana) Last Updated at January 2, 2018 18:54 IST
Retired Army General (Photo: twitter.com/samachar_plus)
A retired Armycaptain, believed to be mentally ill, today allegedly bludgeoned six persons to deathwith a rod in a killing spree here that lasted about two hours, police said.
The accused, identified as Naresh Dhankhad(45), went on the rampage between 2 to 4 am in a two km stretch between AgraChowk and Camp Colony, taking advantage of low visibility due dense fog.
He killed his first victim in the second floor of a private hospital, before hitting the streets to kill five others and injure one.
A resident of Macchgar near Ballabhgarh, Dhankhad also attacked the policemen when they tried to nab him.
He had joined the Armyin 1999 as a lieutenantand taken retirement on medical grounds in 2003. He then joined the HaryanaAgriculture department as an assistant developmentofficerin 2006, a police spokespersonsaid.
He was working as a sub-divisional officerwith the Health Department.
His first victim was a woman named Anjum who was an attendant of a person admitted in the ICU of the hospital. She was sleeping on the second floor where the accused managed to gain entry, Palwal Superintendentof Police Sulochana Gajraj said.
The incident was recorded on a CCTV camera and the accused can be purportedly seen coming inside the doors wearing trousers and a sweater and carrying the rod.
He then went to AgraRoad intersection where he killed three more people. Then a little farther, he killed two others by repeatedly hitting them on the head.
Gajraj said as soon as the police received information, they started sending people, who were either sleeping or working outside, indoors.
She said checkpoints were set up in the town, which is 80 km from Delhi. "When we zeroed-in on him, he was searching for another target and almost had his seventh victim as he had injured him," she said.
He was arrested around 7 am when he was roaming in a street near a private hospital in Palwal, the SP said, adding that thick fog in the town had reduced visibility making it easy for the accused to target the victims.
Dhankar tried to resist arrest and even assaulted the policemen before being overpowered, she said.
The SP said that Dhankar appeared to be mentally ill. However, doctors would be able to throw more light on this, she added.
"He appeared to be mentally ill and looked highly aggressive. Preliminary investigations have revealed that he had strained relations with his wife and two children," she said.
She said the accused, who has been booked on murdercharge, was referred to the civil hospital at Faridabad. His psychological evaluation would be carried out.
Deputy Superintendentof Police Abhimanyu Lohan said prima facie it seemed that he carried out the killings without a reason.
A high alert was sounded in the city, the police spokespersonsaid.
The spokespersonsaid Dhakhad got married 10 years ago and separated from his wife four years later. Dhankad was the youngest of five brothers.
His brother, Chandrapal, claimed that Dhankhad was mentally ill and was being treated by a doctor in Muradnagar, the spokespersonsaid.
He claimed that his brother had completed MSc from HaryanaAgriculture University in Hisar where he was one of toppers.
A doctor at the hospital at Faridabadwhere the accused was brought by the police told reporters that he was unconscious at the time he was wheeled in.
The neighbours at the place, where the former Armyofficerlived, told reporters that he did not like to interact much and preferred to be alone.
Mentally ill retired Army captain goes on rampage in Palwal, kills six