UP's 'Mindhunter' Gets Second Life Sentence: Serial Killer Ate Brains To 'Steal Intelligence'

News18

24-05-2025

Last Updated:
UP police officials said Ram Niranjan was known for beheading his victims, preserving the skulls, and consuming the brains in the belief that it would enhance his own intellect
He didn't just want a piece of your mind but the whole thing. A serial killer from Uttar Pradesh who ate human brains to 'steal intelligence" has been sentenced to life a second time. Officially classified as a 'rarest of rare" case and counted among India's most heinous crimes, the chilling saga of Ram Niranjan, alias Raja Kolander, resurfaced on Friday as a Lucknow court sentenced him to life in a 25-year-old double murder case.
UP police officials who handled the 25-year-old case said Niranjan was known for beheading his victims, preserving human skulls, and allegedly consuming the brains in the belief that it would enhance his own power and intellect.
'Most horrifying crime in UP's criminal history'
The Additional District and Sessions Court also sentenced Kolander's brother-in-law, Vakshraj, to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on each. Both were found guilty earlier this week for the abduction and brutal murder of 22-year-old Manoj Kumar Singh of Raebareli and his driver, Ravi Srivastava, in January 2000.
Kolander, already serving a life term in another murder case, had first come under the national spotlight in 2000 after the beheaded body of journalist Dhirendra Singh was found in Prayagraj. The probe into that murder would later unearth a macabre trail of killings, cannibalism, and mutilation—crimes that investigators and courts alike described as some of the most cold-blooded and horrifying ever recorded in Uttar Pradesh's criminal history.
The murders from 2000 that triggered a dark legacy
The latest verdict relates to the kidnapping and murder of Manoj Singh and Ravi Srivastava, who were last seen on January 24, 2000, after leaving Lucknow for Rewa in a hired Tata Sumo. They were believed to have picked up Kolander's wife, Phoolan Devi, as a passenger from Charbagh railway station. When they failed to return, Singh's family filed a missing persons report at Naka Hindola police station. Several days later, their naked, dismembered bodies were found in the forests near Shankargarh in Prayagraj district.
Though the chargesheet was filed in 2001, the case languished for years, and the trial did not begin until 2013. Investigators only found significant leads when probing the murder of journalist Dhirendra Singh months later—an entirely different case that ultimately blew the lid off Kolander's horrific crimes.
Murder of journalist unravels serial killer
Dhirendra Singh's decapitated body was found in December 2000 in a village bordering Madhya Pradesh. Singh's brother, a police officer, suspected foul play and pointed the investigation towards Kolander.
During a raid at Kolander's farmhouse in Pipri, police unearthed a nightmarish scene: human skulls preserved in containers, a diary documenting at least 14 murders, and personal belongings of the missing victims—including Manoj Singh's coat and the Tata Sumo he had driven. The vehicle had since been repainted and carried a sticker that read 'Phoolan Devi".
Kolander confessed to using his wife to lure Manoj Singh under the pretext of a medical emergency, offering Rs 1,500 for the ride. They were taken to his Shankargarh farmhouse, where they were allegedly shot, stripped, mutilated, and buried in the forest.
A mind twisted by delusion and rituals
Kolander, a former Central Ordnance Depot employee, projected himself as a feudal king. He named his children 'Adalat" (court), 'Jamanat" (bail), and 'Andolan" (protest), and used his influence in local politics through his wife, who served as a district panchayat member.
But behind the facade lay a man consumed by bloodlust and dark beliefs. He admitted to murdering a colleague, Kali Prasad Srivastava, and consuming his brain, believing that Kayasthas had sharp minds and he could absorb their intellect by eating their brains.
When interrogated, he spoke in detail of how he shot victims beside a bonfire, dismembered their bodies, and disposed of remains in different locations. His diary reportedly listed names of other victims: Ashok Kumar, Moin, and Santosh—all of whom went missing over the years.
First conviction in 2012
In 2012, the Allahabad High Court convicted Kolander and Vakshraj in the Dhirendra Singh case. The court ruled it as a 'rarest of the rare" crime due to its premeditation, grotesque execution, and the psychological terror it invoked. Singh was murdered to prevent his brother from pursuing a police complaint against Kolander.
In court, Kolander often claimed he was innocent and a victim of a political vendetta. However, the weight of forensic evidence, including skulls recovered in the presence of police and local villagers, destroyed any vestiges of his defence.
In the recent case, the court found the evidence, including the recovery of the Tata Sumo, Singh's clothing, and forensic links to the murders, overwhelming. Judge Rohit Singh sentenced Kolander and Vakshraj to life imprisonment, bringing some closure to the victims' families after a 25-year-long wait. Both convicts are currently lodged at Unnao District Jail and will continue to serve their terms concurrently.
Story that shocked the nation
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Kolander's story shocked not only India but also people across the globe. His crimes became the subject of Netflix's 'Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer", which examined the psychological depths of his violence and the ritualistic horror behind his murders.
As the Lucknow court's verdict reverberates across the state, it reopens chilling memories of a case that combined superstition, power, blood, and madness. Twenty-five years may have passed, but observers say justice—though delayed—has not been denied.
First Published:
May 24, 2025, 07:00 IST