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In a chilling revelation during his police interrogation, serial killer Ram Saroop, alias Sodhi, admitted that deep emotional hurt and derogatory comments about his sexuality were the driving forces behind his horrific crimes.
The 33-year-old man, who operated primarily on highways in Punjab, confessed that he couldn’t accept slurs about his body and identity, and his last murder was directly linked to such remarks. Sodhi, who dressed as a woman to lure his victims, claimed that his emotional distress pushed him to take revenge, culminating in the murders of at least 11 men over the past 18 months.
During the investigation, Sodhi revealed that his sense of betrayal and anger was so intense that he would often target men who insulted him or refused to pay for sexual services he had provided.
In one particularly gruesome incident, Sodhi explained that his last victim, Maninder Singh, 37, had mocked his sexuality and made derogatory comments about his body.
According to Sodhi, the victim’s comments were a trigger, leading him to murder Maninder during a seemingly innocent lift on his motorbike.
The body of Maninder was later found near Kiratpur Sahib, and it was at the crime scene that police discovered a critical clue – Sodhi’s muffler, which he had left behind. This piece of evidence eventually led to his capture.
SECRETLY WORE MAKEUP AS A KID
Sodhi, who had turned to a life of crime after a troubled upbringing, confessed that his obsession with dressing as a woman started in childhood when he would secretly wear makeup and women’s clothes in the absence of his parents.
His sexual identity began to take shape when he moved to Dubai in 2005, and by the time he was 22, he had embraced his homosexuality.
However, the rejection and insults he faced from some of his victims seemed to have deeply affected his psyche, pushing him to commit acts of violence.
Sodhi’s killings were not just random acts of aggression. He specifically targeted men who either rejected him or failed to meet his demands after engaging in sexual acts.
His first murder occurred in early 2024, when he killed Harpreet Singh, a retired Army man, after a dispute over money. The victim had refused to pay Sodhi the agreed-upon amount after their sexual encounter.
WHY HE WROTE DHOKEBAAZ ON VICTIMS’S BACKS
Infuriated by the rejection, Sodhi killed Harpreet, and in a grotesque act of revenge, he wrote “dhokebaaz” (cheater) on Harpreet’s body in red ink. This message became a signature of his killings.
During the investigation, Sodhi revealed he wrote “dhokebaaz” on the victims’ backs to apologise for the crime he committed.
Sodhi’s crime spree took place across multiple districts, including Roopnagar, Hoshiarpur, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Sirhind. His victims ranged from mechanics to security guards, and in some cases, he would lure them by asking for a lift, engage in a brief sexual encounter, and then murder them if they refused to pay him afterward.
Police investigations have linked Sodhi to six confirmed murders, with another five still under investigation.
Despite the brutality of his crimes, Sodhi’s arrest came after a seemingly small mistake-he left behind his muffler at one of the crime scenes. The piece of clothing, which he often wore as part of his disguise, became a crucial clue that led authorities to his arrest. On the night of his capture, he was spotted in his female disguise, searching for more potential victims.
