'Sodium nitrite' killer ‘tantrik’ murdered 12 in Gujarat: Police

The accused fell ill on Sunday morning and died while being moved to a hospital, the police said.

The Gujarat police said on Sunday that a ‘tantrik’, who was arrested earlier this month for allegedly plotting to kill a man in Ahmedabad, passed away in custody. They, however, claimed the accused admitted to killing 12 people by administering a toxic chemical.

The police said the accused carried out the murders by making his victims consume sodium nitrite dissolved in water. (Representational photo)

The Sarkhej police arrested Navalsinh Chavda around 1 am on December 3 when he was on his way to commit the crime, after his business partner tipped the police off. The police secured Chavda's remand till 3 pm on December 10 for further probe into his occult practices and possible involvement in human sacrifices.

However, the accused fell ill on Sunday morning and died while being moved to a hospital. "Around 10 am on Sunday, Chavda fell ill and was rushed to the civil hospital in an ambulance, but the doctors declared him dead on arrival," a police official told news agency PTI.

The accused, he added, had confessed to killing 12 people using a chemical called sodium nitrite.

"The accused confessed to 12 murders during interrogation, and all deaths had occurred due to consumption of sodium nitrite," the official said.

What is sodium nitrite?

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Shivam Verma said the accused carried out the murders by making his victims consume sodium nitrite dissolved in water during occult rituals.

Verma added that the accused murdered a man in Ahmedabad, six in Surendranagar, including three members of his family, three in Rajkot, and one each in Wankaner (Morbi district) and Anjar (Kutch district).

Elaborating on his modus operandi, the police said he procured sodium nitrite, a chemical used for dry cleaning, from a laboratory in his hometown, Surendranagar. The substance affects a person in around 20 minutes, leading to death from a heart attack.

The accused called himself a bhuvaji" and proclaimed that he had the power to perform magic and miracles.

They said he used to entrap his victims by promising to multiply their wealth and solve their problems.

With inputs from PTI