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Time of India

Serial killer, cannibal, skull collector Raja Kolander, aide get life in 25-yr-old double murder case

1 2 Lucknow: A court in Lucknow on Friday sentenced the notorious serial killer, cannibal and skull collector, Raja Kolander , and his accomplice Bachhraj Kol to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder of 22-year-old Manoj Kumar Singh and his driver Ravi Srivastava in Lucknow's Naka area 25 years ago. The court of Special Judge Rohit Singh found the duo guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 364 (kidnapping), 394 (dacoity with murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), and 412 (receiving stolen property during dacoity). The duo has also been fined Rs 2.5 lakh each, part of which will be paid as compensation to the victims' families. Govt counsel MK Singh, who represented the prosecution, said that delivering the judgment, Special Judge Rohit Singh ruled that both convicts were guilty of acting in concert with co-accused in a "professionally executed and organised criminal conspiracy" with the intention to loot and eliminate the victims. The court found that the accused abducted the victims along with their Tata Sumo vehicle, looted them, and subsequently murdered them in a cruel manner. The bodies were then dumped in the forests of Allahabad to prevent identification, with the intention of destroying evidence. While the prosecution, led by Singh, strongly argued for the death penalty, citing the gruesome nature of the murders and the convicts' history of organised criminal activity, the court held that the case, though heinous, did not fall under the "rarest of rare" category warranting capital punishment. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo The judge instead awarded life sentences. The defence argued that Raja Kolander is now an aged person and cooperated during the trial. For Bachhraj, it was pleaded that he was a juvenile at the time of the crime and came from an impoverished background. However, the court rejected these pleas for leniency, asserting that the nature and planning of the crime left no room for sympathy. "These are not ordinary individuals," the judge observed, calling them "undoubtedly dangerous and audacious". The court directed that 80% of the fine amount from each convict be disbursed as compensation to the families of the two victims — Manoj Kumar Singh and Ravi Srivastava. The compensation will be facilitated by the district magistrate after due verification. The remaining 20% of the fine will go to the state govt to cover legal expenses. Kolander and Bachhraj were earlier convicted of the cold-blooded murder of journalist Dhirendra Singh in Nov 2012. The victim was lured, shot dead, mutilated, and buried. An Allahabad court sentenced both to life imprisonment after 14 human skulls were recovered from Kolander's farmhouse. In the 2000 double murder case, police filed the chargesheet on March 21, 2001. Raja Kolander alias Ram Niranjan, Bachhraj Kol, Adalat Singh Kol, Phoolan Devi, Dilip Gupta, and Daddan Singh were named in the chargesheet. Due to various legal delays, the trial began only in May 2013. During the proceedings, the case of co-accused Adalat Singh and Phoolan Devi was separated in 2001, and Dilip Gupta's case was also separated due to his absence. Daddan Singh died during the trial in 2017, resulting in the abatement of proceedings against him, Singh added. "We examined 12 witnesses, including complainant Shiv Shankar Singh, who provided critical details about the last known movements of the victims and the suspicious passengers. The evidence pointed to a premeditated crime involving kidnapping, robbery, and murder," said the govt counsel. The case dates back to 2000, when Manoj Kumar Singh, son of complainant Shiv Harsh Singh, left Lucknow for Rewa (Madhya Pradesh) in his car along with his driver Ravi Srivastava. They picked up six passengers, including a woman, from Lucknow's Charbagh railway station area on January 24, 2000. The last known location of the vehicle was in Harchandpur (Rae Bareli), where they stopped for tea. Shiv Harsh Singh's brother, Shiv Shankar Singh, testified that he and his brother spoke to the duo during the stop and noticed that one of the passengers appeared ill. The vehicle and its occupants were never seen again, said the police. Three days later, when the victims and the vehicle did not return, a missing report was filed at Naka police station. Subsequently, the mutilated bodies of Manoj and Ravi were found in the Shankargarh forest area in Allahabad, and a post-mortem confirmed murder. Who is Raja Kolander? Raja Kolander, born Ram Niranjan Kol, was a resident of eastern Uttar Pradesh. He hailed from the scheduled Kol tribe and was known to have an unusual personality that kept him on the fringes of society. Infamous for his macabre crimes and alleged cannibalism, he was once employed at an ordnance factory in UP. He believed himself to be a king who could punish anyone he disliked. His bizarre worldview made him name his wife Phoolan Devi and his sons Adalat and Zamanat. Kolander was convicted of multiple murders, including that of journalist Dhirendra Singh. Police recovered human skulls from his farmhouse, leading to chilling allegations of cannibalism. Psychiatrists described him as a psychopath, though courts declared him mentally fit to stand trial. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !