Umesh Reddy
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Umesh Reddy (born 1969) is a
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
and
serial rapist A serial rapist is someone who commits multiple rapes, whether with multiple victims or a single victim repeatedly over a period of time. Some serial rapists target children. The terms ''sexual predator'', ''repeat rape'' and ''multiple offending' ...
from India. He confessed to killing 18 women, and was convicted in 9 cases. The police believe that he raped at least 20 women in the states of
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
,
Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
and
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
. They also suspect that several of his crimes have not been reported, because the victims feared
social stigma Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved to mean a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on a group or individual based on certain characteristics such as their ...
. The
Karnataka High Court The High Court of Karnataka (''IAST: Karnāṭaka Ućća Nyāyālaya'', commonly referred to as the Karnataka High Court and formerly known as the Mysore High Court, is the highest judicial authority of the Indian state of Karnataka. The court ...
sentenced Reddy to death in 2009, a decision upheld by the
Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...
in 2011. After Reddy filed a mercy petition, the Supreme Court commuted his death sentence to a 30-year sentence in 2022.


Early life

Umesh Reddy was born BA Umesh in 1969, in Basappa Malige, a village in
Chitradurga district Chitradurga district is an administrative district of Karnataka state in southern India. The city of Chitradurga is the district headquarters. Chitradurga gets its name from Chitrakaldurga, an umbrella-shaped lofty hill found there. Tradition ...
, Karnataka. After being selected in the
Central Reserve Police Force The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The CRPF assists states and Union Territories in maintaining law and order and internal security. It is composed of the Cent ...
(CRPF), he was posted in
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...
. While on duty as a guard at the house of a commandant, he attempted to rape the commandant's daughter. He then fled to Chitradurga district. In 1996, he managed to join the District Armed Reserve (DAR) Police, who were not aware of his background in CRPF. Reddy had been charged in a road rage incident, but the local DAR inspector chose to ignore this "petty case". Reddy completed his police training in
Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...
, and then returned to Karnataka.


Crimes

Reddy carefully selected his victims. He usually targeted
housewives A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...
between 11 am and 3 pm, when there would be no men at home. He would gain entry into the victims' house on the pretext of asking for water or an address. He then threatened them with a knife, forced them to remove their clothes, tied them up, and raped them. He often choked his victims, and raped them while they were unconscious. After the rape, Reddy killed his victims and removed their jewellery to make the crime appear like a robbery. He then escaped with the victim's undergarments. Reddy was found wearing women's
lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...
under his clothes, whenever the police arrested him. In November 1996, Reddy attempted to rape a high school girl, who was walking at KEB Colony in
Chitradurga Chitradurga is a city and the headquarters of Chitradurga district, which is located on the valley of the Vedavati river in the central part of the Indian state of Karnataka. Chitradurga is a place with historical significance and a major tou ...
. The girl hit him with a stone and managed to escape. On 6 December 1996, Reddy allegedly raped and murdered 16-year-old Roopa, when she was returning to her house in the same locality. The next month, he was arrested and dismissed from service, when his first victim identified him at a
Republic Day Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics. List January 1 January in Slovak Republic The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially calle ...
police parade by chance. Reddy, along with four others, was charged with Roopa's murder, and remanded to judicial custody (later, in 2004, he was acquitted in this case due to lack of sufficient evidence). A court asked him to be shifted to
Bellary Ballari (formerly Bellary) is a city in the Ballari district in state of Karnataka, India. Ballari houses many steel plants such as JSW Vijayanagar, one of the largest in Asia. Ballari district is also known as the ‘Steel city of South Ind ...
jail. In March 1997, while the Chitradurga police were handing him over to the Bellary prison authorities, Reddy escaped. He then killed an income tax officer's wife in
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
, a girl in
Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
, two girls in
Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...
and a widow in Kunigal. Reddy would steal lingerie put up for drying in the backyards of houses. On 7 July 1997, he was arrested by Peenya police for stealing women's undergarments. When the police raided his room, they recovered a gunny bag full of lingerie. At the time of his arrest in Peenya, he told the police that his name was "Ramesh". Reddy escaped within 24 hours while being transferred to the MICO Layout police station for interrogation in another case. The police initially tried to hush up his escape, but Reddy's father filed a
habeas corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a legal procedure invoking the jurisdiction of a court to review the unlawful detention or imprisonment of an individual, and request the individual's custodian (usually a prison official) to ...
petition in the High Court. Two police personnel were then suspended, and a lookout notice was issued in the name of Ramesh. On 28 February 1998, Reddy raped and murdered 37-year-old widow Jayashree Maradi Subbaiah in Peenya. The police believe that he repeatedly had sex with the dead body. When her 8-year-old son Suresh returned from school, he saw Reddy in his house. Reddy told the boy that an
evil spirit Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extremely ...
had entered his mother's body, so he had tied her to the window grill. He then fled saying that he was going to get a doctor. Reddy then attempted to rape another woman in Peenya. When the woman raised the alarm, he tried to escape by jumping from the first floor of the house. He sprained his ankle, and was caught by the neighbours, who handed him over to the police. In 1999, Reddy once again escaped from the police custody near
Hirekerur Hirekeruru is a panchayat town in Haveri district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The name "the village of the big pond" (from the components ''hire'' "ಹಿರೆ", big; ''kere'' "ಕೆರೆ", pond; and ''uru'', village). The name is p ...
. Before he could commit any crime, he was arrested by inspector Nyame Gowda, in
Chikkaballapur Chikkaballapur or Chikkaballāpura is the district headquarters of the newly created Chikkaballapur district in the state of Karnataka, India, which was carved out from Kolar district. It is located within 3 km of Muddenahalli (the birthpla ...
. On the night of 3–4 March 2002, Reddy escaped from police custody again, while being transferred from Bellary to Bangalore in a KSRTC bus. The District Armed Reserve (DAR) personnel of Bellary, who accompanied him, claimed that he was handcuffed at the time, but Reddy denied this when he was arrested two months later. He stated that he bought rum and chicken for the policemen, and earned their trust. When the bus stopped at a
dhaba A dhaba is a roadside restaurant in the Indian subcontinent. They are on highways, generally serve local cuisine, and also serve as truck stops. They are most commonly found next to Filling station, petrol stations, and most are open 24 hours ...
near Hiriyur bypass, he requested the policemen to remove his handcuffs on the pretext that he needed to answer the call of nature. Once free, he ran into the fields and escaped. Over the next two months, Reddy raped three girls in Davangere, Hubli-Dharwad and
Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
. He also stole three mobile phones and two credit cards. He worked as a waiter in a Pune hotel. He stole cash and clothes from there, and then fled to Dharwad. On 17 May 2002, Reddy arrived in Bangalore from
Tumkur Tumkur, officially Tumakuru, is a city and headquarters of Tumakuru district in the Karnataka state of India. Tumkur is known for Siddaganga Matha. Tumkur hosts India's first mega food park, a project of the ministry of food processing. The Ind ...
, and left his luggage in the cloakroom at the Yeshwanthpur railway station. Around 8 am, he visited a salon in
Yeshwanthpur Yashavantapura (formerly Yeshwanthpur), also known as Yeshvantpur, is a locality in the northwestern part of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located to the north of Malleshwara and west of Hebbala. The biggest wholesale marke ...
area, to get a haircut and a clean shave. As he entered the salon, an
auto-rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...
driver Sathyavelu recognized him from a newspaper photograph and an earlier court appearance. The driver called his elder brother Rajendran from a telephone booth and asked him to fetch the police. Meanwhile, he kept a vigil outside the salon. When Reddy exited the salon and started walking towards the railway station, Sathyavelu tipped off the police and followed him. Inspector Nagaraja Urs intercepted Reddy near Sharief Nagar and arrested him. At first, Reddy claimed to be somebody else but admitted that he was the serial killer, after being taken to the police station. The police rewarded the driver with 20,000. Reddy was found wearing a bra and panties. His baggage, seized from the cloakroom, contained several women's garments: 18 pairs of panties, 10 bras, 8
churidar Churidars, also churidar pyjamas, are tightly fitting trousers worn by both men and women in the Indian subcontinent. Churidars are a variant of the common shalwar pants. Shalwars are cut wide at the top and narrow at the ankle. Churidars narrow ...
s, 6
sari A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-sti ...
s, 4
blouse A blouse () is a loose-fitting upper garment that may be worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women, and children.The Concise Oxford English Dictionary It is typically gathered at the waist or hips (by tight hem, pleats, parter, or belt) so th ...
s and 2
nightie A nightgown, nightie or nightdress is a loosely hanging item of nightwear, and is commonly worn by women and girls. A nightgown is made from cotton, silk, satin, or nylon and may be decorated with lace appliqués or embroidery at the bust and h ...
s.


Death sentence

Reddy was tried and convicted in 9 cases, including the rape of Jayashree Subbaiah. He was acquitted in 11 cases due to lack of sufficient evidence. On 26 October 2006, Judge K Sukanya of the Bengaluru city fast-track court gave him multiple
sentences The ''Sentences'' (. ) is a compendium of Christian theology written by Peter Lombard around 1150. It was the most important religious textbook of the Middle Ages. Background The sentence genre emerged from works like Prosper of Aquitaine's ...
including a death sentence, a 7-year sentence plus 25,000 fine and a 10-year sentence plus 25,000 fine. Reddy tried to win the judge's mercy by saying that he wanted to study and take care of his mother, but the judge did not relent. Since the death sentence was the heaviest sentence, the case was referred to the High Court as per procedure. On 4 October 2007, a division bench of the
Karnataka High Court The High Court of Karnataka (''IAST: Karnāṭaka Ućća Nyāyālaya'', commonly referred to as the Karnataka High Court and formerly known as the Mysore High Court, is the highest judicial authority of the Indian state of Karnataka. The court ...
also convicted Reddy, but the judges differed on the death sentence. Justice V G Sabhahit upheld the death penalty, but Justice Ravi B Naik advocated rigorous imprisonment for life with no scope for
amnesty Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...
. A third judge, Justice S. R. Bannurmath, was appointed to resolve the tie. On 18 February 2009, Bannurmath upheld the death sentence, and thus, the High Court confirmed the death penalty for Umesh Reddy. On 1 February 2011, the Supreme Court also upheld the death sentence. Justices
Altamas Kabir Altamas Kabir (19 July 1948 – 19 February 2017) was an Indian lawyer and judge who served as the 39th Chief Justice of India. Early life and education Altamas Kabir was born in Calcutta in 1948, to a Bengali Muslim family from the district o ...
and A K Pathak argued that Reddy was incapable of rehabilitation, and that his rape and murder of Jayashree fell under "rarest of the rare" category, a requirement for
capital punishment in India Capital punishment in India is the highest legal penalty for crimes under the country's main substantive penal legislation, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (formerly Indian Penal Code), as well as other laws. Executions are carried out by hangin ...
. Reddy immediately filed a
mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...
petition before the
President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...
. On 7 May 2012, the
Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as GoK or GoKA, formerly known as Government of Mysore (1956–1974), is a democratically elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka ...
rejected Reddy's mercy plea. Subsequently, the President of India also rejected his mercy petition on 12 May 2013. Reddy then filed a fresh petition, which is now pending before a Supreme Court constitution bench. On 4 November 2022, the Supreme Court commuted his death sentence to 30 years imprisonment.


In popular culture

The
Kannada language Kannada () is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, an ...
movie ''Umesh'' (2013) is a fictionalized version of Umesh Reddy's life. ''
Khatarnak ''Khatarnak'' may refer to: * ''Khatarnak'' (1974 film), a Pakistani film * ''Khatarnak'' (2000 film), an Indian Marathi-language thriller film by Mahesh Kothare * ''Khatarnak'' (2006 film), an Indian Telugu-language action film, starring Ravi T ...
'' or ''Khataranak Umesh Reddy'' (2013), another Kannada movie, was also based on Umesh Reddy's life. His character was also portrayed by Adi Lokesh in ''
Dandupalya 2 ''Dandupalya 2'' (or simply ''2'') is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language crime thriller directed by Srinivas Raju and produced by Venkat. Based on the infamous dacoit gang from Dandupalya, the film is a sequel to the 2012 film '' Dandupalya'' and ...
'' & ''
Dandupalya 3 ''Dandupalya 3'' (or simply ''III'') is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language crime thriller film directed by Srinivas Raju and produced by Ram Talluri. Based on the infamous dacoit gang from Dandupalya, the film is a sequel to the 2017 critically acc ...
'', where he is seen as one of the inmates of Dandupalya gang in Hindalga Prison. A 3 episodes documentary called "''Beast of Bangalore: Indian Predator''" was released on Netflix on 16th December 2022 depicting Umesh's heinous crimes. The documentary included interviews with local police officials, victims and associates who helped Umesh in some of his crimes.


See also

*
List of serial killers by country This is a list of notable serial killers, by the country where most of the killings occurred. Convicted serial killers by country Afghanistan * Abul Djabar: killed 65 men and boys by strangling them with turbans while raping them; suspected o ...


References


External links


B.A.Umesh vs Regr.Gen.High Court Of Karnataka on 1 February 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, Umesh 1969 births 21st-century Indian criminals Crime in Karnataka Escapees from Indian detention Indian escapees Indian people convicted of murder Indian prisoners sentenced to death Indian rapists Indian serial killers Living people Necrophiles People convicted of murder by India People from Chitradurga district Prisoners sentenced to death by India Indian people convicted of rape