A sketch of the suspect has been released by the police.
A town in Madhya Pradesh is on high alert as 'Stoneman', an alleged serial killer who strikes only in the dead of night, is on the loose.
Four cases, including three in the last three nights, with identical pattern of attack have been reported from Sagar district. All of them died, their heads smashed with a hammer, spade or stones.
On Tuesday morning, locals found 60-year-old Shamburam Dubey, a security guard at Sagar's Arts and Commerce College, murdered near the canteen. He was killed in his sleep. The forensic team found a bloodied stone near his body.
A mobile phone was also found near Dubey's body. The SIM card was missing but a quick check revealed it belonged to 57-year-old Kalyan Lodhi, another security guard who had been hammered to death the previous night at a factory.
Another victim, Mangal Ahirwar, was attacked on Tuesday night. He was referred to a Bhopal hospital with severe skull injuries. He died on the way. He was targeted while he was on duty near Moti Nagar area of Sagar.
Earlier in May, Uttam Rajak, who worked as a watchman at an over-bridge construction site on Makronia Banda Road was found murdered. The killer kept a shoe on his battered face.
None of the victims were looted.
As per sources, the accused was spotted in a CCTV footage wearing a white shirt and shorts.
The Madhya Pradesh police has constituted multiple teams to track the accused and announced Rs 20,000 bounty on his arrest.
A sketch of the suspect has also been released based on the information provided by the serial killer's latest victim and the CCTV grabs retrieved from the spots of the murders.
"The police are working on dual strategies, including how to protect people and secondly how to track and nab the killer. Special teams have been constituted and CSP-Sagar is heading the entire probe," said Sagar district police superintendent Tarun Nayak.
"A police team raided a jungle late last night on information about a suspect. We appeal all those with CCTV cameras to check the footage of the last few days and share with us anything incriminating. The identities of the informants won't be disclosed," he added.
Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said, "Entire Sagar district police is on high alert, night patrolling has been intensified further in Sagar and the security guards on night duty at various spots have been put on maximum alert. From the CCTV grabs analysed so far, a man is seen running. The ongoing probe suggests that it may be one man who is committing this killings, but till the time the killer is nabbed, commenting further will create confusion."