Liquor, Poison, Infinite Patience: How Chhattisgarh Man Killed 8 Villagers

In Kharve village of Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar district, death did not arrive with gunshots, screams or bloodshed. It arrived quietly, in a glass of liquor allegedly served by a village shopkeeper who later stood beside grieving families and attended the funerals of the very men he had poisoned. 

Police say 46-year-old Ram Sahay Jaiswal, now described by investigators as a "psycho killer", allegedly used lethal doses of 'suhaga' or borax powder (sodium tetraborate decahydrate) to murder eight men over four months. Investigations revealed that he had taken the substance from a villager, claiming he needed it to kill rats. Instead, police say, he turned it into a silent murder weapon.

For months, men in Kharve kept dying one after another. A death in February, another weeks later, then more through March, April and May. Families mourned, funerals were held, graves were dug, and life moved on. But beneath the silence, fear was growing. By the time villagers approached authorities on June 6, eight men were dead and suspicion had begun to circle around one man Ramsahay Jaiswal.

What followed turned a quiet village mystery into a chilling crime thriller. Police realised this was no ordinary complaint. Seven buried bodies were exhumed and sent to Raipur's Medico-Legal Institute for post-mortem and forensic examination. DNA and viscera samples were preserved, while one victim, Budhram Jaiswal, had already been cremated, leaving no body for forensic testing. As doctors searched for poison in the dead, police teams moved through the village, questioning residents, tracing the last movements of the victims and quietly building a pattern.

That pattern, investigators say, led again and again to Ramsahay. According to police, the accused first tested poison on a dog after procuring 'suhaga' under the pretext of rat poison. When the animal died, he allegedly realised the method worked. Soon after, Badri became the first human victim on February 6. Police say he was given liquor laced with poison because he frequently abused the accused and demanded alcohol. When Badri died without raising suspicion, Ramsahay allegedly grew bolder.

Over the next few months, police say, the same method was repeated with terrifying patience. Buthalu, Chhattu Ram, Budhram, Vinod Kumar, Gajanand, Chaituram and Mahetaru Ram allegedly died after being served liquor mixed with borax powder. The motives, investigators say, were shockingly petty and personal, old election disputes, public taunts, verbal abuse, suspicions involving his wife, superstition about sorcery, a land dispute and even a Rs 50,000 debt that the accused allegedly wanted to escape by eliminating the lender.

For months, the deaths appeared scattered and unexplained. What made the case even more chilling, police say, was that the accused did not disappear after the deaths. He allegedly helped the grieving families, blended into the mourning crowd and attended the funerals, quietly watching the village bury his victims one by one.

The case began to crack when police discovered that the victims had been in contact with Ramsahay before falling ill. Investigators also learned that he had obtained borax powder from a villager. During interrogation, Ramsahay initially denied involvement, but police say he later confessed to killing all eight men, one by one, by offering them poisoned liquor.

The investigation became even more disturbing when police found there may have been a ninth target. On April 14, Ramsahay allegedly served poisoned liquor to Kartik, who fell critically ill but survived after his family rushed him to hospital. His survival may now become a crucial link in proving the alleged pattern of murder.

Balodabazar Superintendent of Police OP Sharma told NDTV that villagers had complained about eight suspicious deaths over several months and had named a suspect. The police acted immediately, exhumed seven bodies and sent them for forensic examination. Four post-mortem reports have been received so far, while four are still awaited. Cases have now been registered against Ramsahay Jaiswal for eight murders and one attempted murder.