Viswa Vanapalli
When the authorities in Delhi, India, found a torso outside a prison in October 2006, the investigation took off immediately. However, it wasn’t until two more deaths that the culprit, Chandrakant Jha, was arrested. Netflix’s ‘Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi’ is a true-crime docu-series that focuses on the work that went into Chandrakant’s conviction and the horrific murders he committed. At the time, two policemen, Sunder Singh Yadav and Narender Pehlwan, were among the people who arrested Chandrakant.
Who Are Sunder Singh Yadav and Narender Pehlwan?
At the time of the incident in October 2006, Sunder was an inspector at the Hari Nagar Police Station in Delhi, while Narender was a sub-inspector. At around 6:30 AM on October 20, the police station received a call from someone claiming to have left a dead body outside Tihar Jail in Delhi. On the show, Sunder talked about them finding the body and locating a letter that taunted and abused the police force.
A couple of hours later, the same man called again, asking for updates on the case. He spoke to Sunder and challenged the policeman to catch him, adding that more dead bodies would turn up in the following days. The investigation then traced where the calls came from, and the police got a composite sketch based on the description from the owner of the public telephone service.
Two more dead bodies were turned in the following months as the authorities looked into a constable named Balbir Singh, who was posted on duty at the gate where the bodies were dumped. As per the show, the killer revealed on the phone that Balbir had tortured him while he was in prison in the past. So, as a way to make him suffer, the killer left the bodies when Balbir was on duty at the gate.
Eventually, Sunder recruited Narender and a few other officers to kick the investigation up another notch. Just days after the third dead body was found in May 2007, Narender received a tip regarding someone matching the description of the killer visiting a doctor in Azadpur, Delhi. Narender led this part of the investigation, and they eventually learned the killer’s identity as Chandrakant Jha, a father of five.
Then, through cell tower records, the authorities traced the possible location of Chandrakant to Alipur, Delhi. Based on information from witnesses, they began looking for a cart with a motor. Narender found it outside one of the houses and eventually arrested Chandrakant inside. Soon after, the killer confessed to the murders in great detail, only to recant them in court.
Sunder Singh Yadav Has Retired, While Narender Pehlwan Leads a Quiet Life Today
Sunder and his team eventually learned from Chandrakant that he would dump the heads of his victims in the Yamuna River flowing through Delhi. As per the show, he did that to purge their sins. The authorities later found a skull in the area surrounding the river and evidence of blood at the place where Chandrakant committed the slayings. Sunder later served as the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Delhi.
In September 2018, Sunder led a team to arrest a serial chain snatcher in Delhi. He is currently enjoying life post-retirement with his family in Alwar, Rajasthan, India, and takes up work as a legal and social consultant. As for Narender, his work was instrumental in capturing Chandrakant. However, he has since maintained a low profile, and it’s unclear whether he still serves on the police force. His last known location is Delhi.
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