Occultist held for triple murder in Delhi's Peeragarhi shows no remorse: Police

The 72-year-old occultist arrested for allegedly killing three people with poison-laced sweets in the name of tantric rituals to generate wealth in outer Delhi's Peeragarhi has shown ''no signs of remorse'' during interrogation, a police officer said on Thursday. Kamruddin alias Baba, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad, was arrested on Thursday and sent to five-day police remand. Police have widened the probe into his financial transactions, contacts and possible links to similar murders in other states. ''Call detail records and technical surveillance have revealed that the accused was in contact with a large number of people,'' the officer said. Each link is being verified to ascertain whether others were lured with promise of ''dhanvarsha'', or a rain of riches. Police are examining similarities between the current case and another murder case registered against Baba in Uttar Pradesh's Makkhanpur, where two people were killed in 2025. Another case is registered against him in Rajasthan's Dholpur. The officer noted that the same modus operandi was used in the Uttar Pradesh case. The occultist allegedly targeted people in financial distress, building trust through ritualistic assurances before using poisoned consumables to kill them and escape. Kamruddin learnt these practices around 2010 in Uttar Pradesh under a self-styled ''master''. His first known victims were a couple from Rajasthan who sought help because they were unable to conceive. During questioning, Kamruddin claimed the woman was killed by her husband on his instructions as part of a ritual. The accused used common items such as besan laddoos and eggs during his rituals to gain the trust of victims. While he has confessed about his involvement in three cases so far, police believe there may be more victims. The role of his family members is also under the scanner to see if anyone assisted him directly or indirectly. People approached Kamruddin not only for monetary problems but also for various personal issues. His client base was primarily spread across Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the officer said. A parallel financial investigation is underway. Preliminary findings suggest that the accused owns certain properties, which are now under scrutiny. ''Financial investigation regarding Kamruddin is being carried out. As per initial investigation, he has some properties and verification regarding those assets has been initiated,'' the officer added. Police have recovered several pieces of evidence, including glasses, a liquor bottle, car mats, some cash and identity cards of victims, from the car linked to the case. The seized items have been sent for forensic examination. Recovery of certain personal items suggests that victims, Laxmi and Shiv Naresh, were following occult practices. Baba was arrested in connection with the deaths of three people -- two men and a woman -- whose bodies were found inside a car in outer Delhi's Peeragarhi area on February 8. Police said Kamruddin lured them with promise of a Rs 2-3 crore windfall through rituals. He allegedly administered poison-laced sweets before fleeing with Rs 2 lakh cash. The case surfaced when police were informed about three people lying unconscious inside a parked car. The victims were rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital where doctors declared them brought dead. The deceased were identified as Randhir (76), a resident of Baprola; Shiv Naresh (42), a property dealer from Nagli Dairy; and Laxmi (40), a resident of Jahangirpuri. According to police, Baba allegedly prepared poison-laced ladoos and accompanied the victims from Loni to Delhi in their car. They said a CCTV footage showed him walking on a street to board their car. During the journey, he offered them the sweets and drinks. Once they started feeling unwell and lost consciousness, he allegedly took their cash and abandoned the vehicle. During interrogation, Baba allegedly attempted to mislead investigators about his movements but failed to provide satisfactory explanations. CCTV footage along the route, electronic surveillance and location data corroborated his presence in the car on the day of the incident, they said. ''The type of poison he used will only be clear after detailed post-mortem report. We are probing whether he acted entirely alone or had assistance in identifying targets and facilitating meetings. We are also checking if he was using social media for online advertisements,'' the officer said.