MP: Serial killer who murdered security guards gets life sentence
Shiv Prakash Dhurve, the man accused of a series of murders in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a local sessions court. The victims, all on-duty security guards, were killed in their sleep during a week-long spree in 2022. The first victim was 57-year-old Kalyan Lodhi, who worked at a factory. He was found dead with his head smashed in.
Serial killer's victims and subsequent panic
Following Lodhi's murder, 60-year-old Shambhu Saran Dubey, a security guard at a college, was found dead in the same manner. The killing spree continued with the murders of 45-year-old Mangal Ahirwar and Uttam Rajak at an under-construction railway bridge. These serial killings caused widespread panic in Bhopal, leading to the formation of a task force to catch Dhurve.
Evidence and conviction of the serial killer
Upon Dhurve's arrest, he was isolated in Bhopal central jail due to concerns raised by other convicts. Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Kumar sentenced Dhurve to life imprisonment for Dubey's murder, stating that "the accused deserves severe punishment to send the right message to society, but not the death penalty." The conviction was based on evidence, including a recovered mobile phone and blood from the deceased found on Dhurve's clothes.
Dhurve's background and motive behind the murders
Assistant district prosecution officer Saurabh Dimha told the Indian Express that Dhurve is "not a psychopath but had a criminal mindset," adding that he committed the murders for money, among other issues. Prior to the murders, Dhurve had worked as a waiter in Goa and Pune, returning to Sagar in 2022 after losing his job. At the time of his arrest, he was only 19 and had previously gotten into trouble as a juvenile in Pune in 2018.
