Naresh Dhankar, a 45-year-old retired lieutenant of the Indian Army who allegedly bludgeoned six people to death with an iron rod in Haryana’s Palwal on Tuesday, has undergone a head surgery at the Safdarjung hospital in Delhi and is in a stable condition, a senior doctor said. Police have however not been able to record his statement as he has been in the ICU. The administration announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the next of kin of the victims.
Dhankar, believed to be mentally ill, apparently suffered a head injury during a scuffle after being caught.
He was operated at the Safdarjung Hospital yesterday. He was admitted to the hospital's emergency at around 8 pm.
He had suffered head injury and was found to have epidural hematoma (EDH), which is an intracranial hemorrhage between the outer membrane of the brain and the skull. We operated on him and removed the blood clot.Dr Karam Chand Sharma, Neurosurgery Department Head
The crime took place within 100 metres of the police station early on Tuesday and was recorded in a CCTV camera that led to his arrest.
Naresh Dhankar served as a lieutenant in the army and left under Medical Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). He was employed with the Haryana agriculture department, The Indian Express reported.
In the town 80 kms away from Delhi, the murders took place at different locations between 2 to 4 am, according to The Indian Express. All murders are believed to be committed by Dhankar.
Police told India Today that Naresh's victims were chosen at random, saying he "attacked whoever he came across on the streets".
His first victim was a woman named Anjum who was sleeping outside a private hospital in Palwal, and her killing was recorded on a CCTV camera in the area.
He then went to the Agra Road intersection where he killed three more people. He also killed two others, few metres away from the earlier spot of crime. Some of the bodies have not been identified yet.
Palwal Superintendent of Police Sulochna Kumari said as soon as the police received information, they started sending people, who were either sleeping or working outside, indoors.
After the day broke, police personnel saw the accused and when they attempted to nab him, he attacked. The injured police personnel were referred to Faridabad for treatment, she said.
He did not attempt to loot anyone and the people he targeted were security guards, beggars or the poor, she said.
Dhankar, after his arrest, was taken to the civil hospital from where doctors referred him to Faridabad. His psychological evaluation would be carried out.
He joined the Army in 1999 as a lieutenant and took retirement on medical grounds in 2003. He then joined the Haryana agriculture department as an assistant development officer in 2006.
He was working as a sub-divisional officer with the health department.
"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," Palwal Superintendent of Police Sulochana Gajraj had said on Tuesday.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Abhimanyu Lohan said prima facie it seemed that he carried out the killings without a reason.
According to police, Dhankar got married 10 years ago and separated from his wife four years later. Dhankar was the youngest of five brothers.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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