Dr Devender Kumar Sharma was serving a life sentence for multiple cases of kidnapping and murder involving truck and taxi drivers. He went absconding in August 2023 after a parole was granted to him
Serial killer Devender Sharma was caught hiding as a priest in an ashram in Rajasthan. Representational Pic/File
The Crime Branch team of the New Delhi Range, RK Puram, has arrested Dr Devender Kumar Sharma, a convicted serial killer who had been on the run after jumping parole. Sharma was serving a life sentence for multiple cases of kidnapping and murder involving truck and taxi drivers. He absconded in August 2023 while on parole, which was granted during his imprisonment for cases registered in both Delhi and Rajasthan. Authorities noted that he is a repeat offender, having previously jumped parole in 2020.
Sharma was also involved for his involvement in a kidney transplant racket operated between 1998 and 2004 alongside a person identified as Dr Amit. During interrogation, he admitted to facilitating around 125 illegal kidney transplants.
He was granted a two-month parole on June 9, 2023, in connection with FIR No 55/2004 under sections 302, 365, 392, and 201 IPC at Sarita Vihar Police Station, Delhi, but never surrendered at the end of the parole period, reported ANI.
Following his disappearance, the Crime Branch team launched an extensive manhunt. Officers conducted discreet and prolonged investigations across multiple cities, including Aligarh, Jaipur, Delhi, Agra, and Prayagraj. Over six months, they persistently gathered intelligence from possible hideouts and networks, which eventually led to Sharma’s arrest.
Sharma, who is already serving a life sentence for multiple murders and was previously involved in a major illegal kidney transplant racket, remains a high-profile and habitual parole violator.
Devender Sharma was successfully located in Dausa, Rajasthan, where he was posing as a priest in an ashram. The team disguised as his followers and camped with him to make sure he was Dr Devender. Upon apprehension, the accused confessed to his criminal past and admitted that he had jumped parole to never return to jail.
Devendra Sharma, is a permanent resident of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. His father worked for a pharmaceutical company in Siwan, Bihar. He earned a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degree in 1984 from Bihar and later opened his own clinic, Janta Clinic, in Bandikui, Rajasthan, which he ran for 11 years.
In 1994, he suffered a major financial setback after being defrauded of Rs 11 lakh in a gas dealership scam. Following this loss, in 1995, he turned to criminal activities and allegedly started operating a fake gas agency. During interrogation he confessed that it was during this time that he came in contact with Dr Amit. Between 1998 and 2004, he facilitated over 125 illegal kidney transplants, earning between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh per procedure. He acted as an intermediary, arranging donors for Dr Amit.
In 2004, Dr Devender Kumar Sharma was arrested in Gurugram for his involvement in an illegal kidney transplant racket. Around the same time, he and his gang were implicated in a series of taxi driver abductions and murders. They would sell the stolen vehicles in Uttar Pradesh’s grey market, earning approximately Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per car. Sharma was charged with the murder of 21 taxi drivers.
He received life sentences in seven different cases filed across Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana. In addition, a Gurgaon court sentenced him to death for one of the taxi driver murders. During interrogation, Sharma admitted to killing over 50 individuals. His wife and children abandoned him in 2004 after his horrific crimes became public. The fugitive has now been handed over to the jail authorities.
(With inputs from ANI)
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