My father is an abnormal man but no criminal, says son of alleged serial killer

“Hang him if he is guilty but don’t tarnish my family’s image without evidence,” says Shubham Khambra, 25, the eldest son of alleged serial killer Aadesh Khambra,48, showing his great grandfather Shrinarayan Khambra’s photo with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, adding how his family enjoyed a good reputation in this industrial town till his father was arrested.

Two days after Khambra’s arrest on September 7, Bhopal police claimed that the man who started out as a small-time tailor had confessed to killing 33 people, including 30 truck drivers and cleaners in four states — Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Khambra was arrested after his two alleged accomplices Jaikaran Prajapati and Tukaram Banjara were nabbed by the city police.

However, Shubham, who is a garden supervisor with the Mandideep corporation, also claimed in the same breath that he and other family members — his mother, brother and three sisters — did not enjoy a good relationship with Khambra because of his “abnormal” nature.

“He used to beat my mother unnecessarily,” said Shubham.

At the same time, he doesn’t believe that his father has committed the murders. He alleged that police had not been able to produce any evidence so far and were changing their statements about the place of Khambra’s arrest repeatedly.

“If there is any evidence against him, I will be the first to severe ties with him,” said Shubham, threatening to take legal action against the police once his father is released.

“My great grandfather Shrinarayan Khambra’s name figures in the record books for contesting a number of elections. My grandfather Gulab Khambra was a subedar in the Indian Army,” he said.

“Aap kisi ko maroge toh murda bhi bolega ki humne apraadh kiya hai (If you use third-degree torture, even a dead man will confess he has committed a crime),” said Shubham.

Shubham claims that his father shifted to Bhandara in Maharashtra more than a decade ago as he was tormented by his grandfather for reasons he is not aware of. He used to visit the family occasionally.

Lanes and by-lanes

One has to negotiate a maze of lanes and bylanes to reach the pucca house of the Khambras in Bhoi Mohalla, a slum cluster of Mandideep. Compared to the row of small houses, the Khambra building at the dead-end of the lane looks prosperous with all modern amenities.

Shubham claims his father did not contribute financially to the family. His mother made eco-friendly disposable plates and bowls in the house. His younger brother is a motor mechanic and one of the sisters helps her mother in the business. While the eldest daughter is married, the youngest studies in Class 10.

Ramkumar Tayal, whose shop was bang opposite Khambra’s tailoring unit in Mandideep once upon a time, said the man could just look at a customer and figure out the measurements for stitching. Tayal said Khambra kept shifting his tailoring business at different places in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Another local, Vinod Thakur, said, “Aadesh wanted to contest the civic body elections for the post of corporator on a national party’s ticket about two years ago. Nobody believes that such a cool person can turn out to be a dreaded serial killer.”

Investigation so far

A police official involved in the serial killing probe, and who did not want to be named, said he had not seen a criminal as shrewd as Khambra, and that the man did not show any sign of remorse on his face. Rather, he would crack jokes during interrogation and threaten police officers with: ‘Are you not afraid of being my target No. 34 as I have already killed 33 people’.

Curiously, the police officer said, Khambra claimed he never targeted truckers from his home district Raisen and Bhopal, which is just 25 km from Mandideep where his family lives.

The police officer said that during interrogation, Khambra disclosed why he preferred to kill people after sedating them — because it was a “smooth act” and did not involve any struggle.

He also confessed that killing truckers had its advantages as police and truck owners usually believed that the “missing” driver and cleaner may have stolen goods in the truck and gone into hiding.

First Published: Sep 20, 2018 18:20 IST