Raja Kolandar: The Skull Soup Serial Killer Who Laughed at Justice

Introduction

On the outside, Raja Kolandar looked like any other rural man from Uttar Pradesh. With a long braid atop his head, a crisp white kurta-pajama, and a gamcha draped over his shoulder, he could have passed for a farmer, a priest, or a small-town government worker. But beneath this unassuming exterior lurked a mind so twisted and a heart so cold that even the most hardened police officers shuddered at the mention of his name.

In the annals of Indian crime, few names evoke as much horror as Raja Kolandar — the man who not only killed at least 14 people but also confessed to drinking soup made from their skulls. And when the court finally sentenced him to life imprisonment, he simply smiled and told the judge, “Sahab, I accept the punishment.”

This is the chilling tale of Raja Kolandar: his life, his crimes, and the psychological abyss that turned a man into a monster.

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A Mask of Normalcy: Who Was Raja Kolandar?

Born as Ram Niranjan Kol in Shankargarh, Prayagraj, Raja Kolandar’s early life was unremarkable. He worked as an employee at the Central Ordnance Depot in Naini, a job that brought him respect and a modest income. But the ordinariness of his life was only a façade. Kolandar, which means “free spirit,” was a name he chose for himself, believing he was a king in his own right, above the law and outside the bounds of morality.

He was eccentric, even in his personal life. He named his wife Phoolan Devi, after the infamous bandit queen, and gave his sons the names “Adalat” (Court) and “Jamanat” (Bail), while his daughter was called “Andolan” (Movement). His wife, Phoolan Devi, even became a district panchayat member — a testament to his social standing and cunning ability to blend into society.

But beneath this surface, Kolandar harbored bizarre beliefs and a dangerous sense of superiority. He claimed that anyone smarter or quicker than him had to die, and he would be the judge, jury, and executioner in his own twisted court.

The Ritual of Death: Killing for Power

Kolandar’s victims were not chosen at random. He targeted those he considered intelligent or cunning — people he believed posed a challenge to his authority or intellect. His logic was chilling: by killing them and consuming soup made from their brains, he could absorb their intelligence and cunning.

He would kill his victims, sever their heads, and extract their brains. The brains would be boiled and made into a soup, which he drank in the belief that it would make him smarter and more powerful. The remaining skulls would be kept as trophies — grim reminders of his conquests.

His methods were as brutal as they were ritualistic. Some victims were shot, others were bludgeoned. All were decapitated, their heads taken away for Kolandar’s gruesome “feast.” The rest of the bodies were often buried in remote fields or disposed of in water bodies, far from prying eyes.

The Journalist Who Got Too Close

For years, Kolandar’s crimes went unnoticed. He operated in the shadows, his victims often marginalized individuals whose disappearances raised few alarms. But everything changed in December 2000, when he crossed a line that would eventually lead to his downfall.

Dhirendra Singh was a journalist in Prayagraj who had started investigating disturbing rumors about Kolandar’s activities. When Kolandar learned that Dhirendra’s brother had filed an FIR against him, he decided to eliminate the threat.

On a cold December evening, Kolandar lured Dhirendra to his farm house in Pipri, under the pretense of a meeting. Dhirendra arrived on his motorcycle, seeking answers. Unbeknownst to him, Kolandar and his brother-in-law, Vrikshraj, were lying in wait. As Dhirendra sat by a bonfire, Vrikshraj shot him dead. The two men then loaded his body into a Tata Sumo, drove towards the Madhya Pradesh border, and carried out their gruesome ritual: severing Dhirendra’s head, burying the torso in a field, and dumping the head, wrapped in plastic, into the Bansagar reservoir near Rewa.

The disappearance of a journalist could not go unnoticed. When Dhirendra’s body was discovered on December 14, 2000, the police launched a full-scale investigation.

The Diary of Death

The investigation led police to Kolandar’s farmhouse. What they found there would haunt them forever.

During a search, police uncovered a diary. As they flipped through its pages, their shock deepened: the diary contained a detailed record of 14 murders, with names, dates, and methods. It was a ledger of horror, each entry a confession written in Kolandar’s own hand.

The diary also revealed the ritualistic aspects of Kolandar’s crimes. He meticulously described how he would select his victims, carry out the killings, and prepare the skull soup. The pages were filled with twisted logic and justifications for his actions, as if he believed himself to be on a divine mission.

The police also discovered several human skulls at the farmhouse, along with other remains. Among them were the heads of Ashok Kumar, Mueen, Santosh, and Kali Prasad — all victims whose disappearances had previously gone unsolved.

The Arrest and Confession

With mounting evidence, police arrested Raja Kolandar and his brother-in-law, Vrikshraj. Under intense interrogation, Kolandar confessed to the murders, describing his methods in chilling detail. He showed no remorse, instead speaking with pride about his “achievements.”

He admitted to killing more than 14 people, including the journalist Dhirendra Singh, and described how he disposed of the bodies. He also explained his bizarre belief in gaining intelligence by consuming the brains of his victims.

Kolandar’s wife, Phoolan Devi, and his children were questioned, but there was no evidence to suggest they were involved in the killings. Phoolan Devi, who had become a district panchayat member, maintained that she had no knowledge of her husband’s crimes.

The Courtroom Drama

When Raja Kolandar was brought to court, he appeared calm, even cheerful. He smiled at the judge and told him, “Sahab, I accept the punishment.” Even as the court sentenced him and Vrikshraj to life imprisonment for the murders of Manoj Singh and his driver Ravi Srivastava, Kolandar showed no sign of fear or regret.

The judge described the case as “rarest of the rare,” given the brutality and sheer number of murders. The courtroom was packed with journalists, villagers, and police officers, all eager to see the man who had terrorized the region for years.

Despite overwhelming evidence, Kolandar continued to claim he was innocent, insisting he was the victim of a political conspiracy. But the discovery of 14 skulls, the diary of confessions, and the testimonies of witnesses left little room for doubt.

The Motive: Madness or Method?

What drove Raja Kolandar to such extremes? Psychologists and criminologists have debated this question for years. Some believe he was simply insane, driven by delusions of grandeur and bizarre superstitions. Others argue that he was a cold, calculating killer who used ritual as a cover for his sadism.

Kolandar’s own statements provide some insight. He believed he was a king, above all others, and that it was his right to judge and punish those he considered a threat. His obsession with intelligence and cunning led him to target those he saw as smarter or more capable, hoping to absorb their qualities through cannibalistic rituals.

His choice of victims was also shaped by his prejudices. In one case, he murdered a colleague, Kali Prasad Srivastava, simply because he belonged to the Kayasth community, whom Kolandar believed to be especially intelligent. He later confessed to eating parts of Kali Prasad’s brain, convinced it would make him smarter.

A Web of Violence

Kolandar’s reign of terror extended over years, with each murder more brutal than the last. He was methodical, covering his tracks and using his local influence to evade suspicion. He kept meticulous records of his crimes, as if daring the world to catch him.

His crimes only came to light because of the persistence of police investigators, the courage of journalists, and the clues he left behind. The discovery of the diary was a turning point, providing a roadmap for police to link Kolandar to a string of unsolved murders.

The Legacy of Horror

Raja Kolandar is now serving a life sentence in Unnao jail. But his story continues to haunt the collective memory of Uttar Pradesh and the wider world. His crimes inspired the Netflix docuseries “Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer,” which brought his chilling story to a global audience.

Even years after his conviction, Kolandar remains unrepentant. He insists he was framed, despite the mountain of evidence against him. His lack of remorse, his bizarre rituals, and his cold-blooded logic mark him as one of India’s most notorious serial killers.

Conclusion: Evil Behind a Smile

The story of Raja Kolandar is a grim reminder of the darkness that can lurk behind the most ordinary of faces. He was a man who believed he was above the law, who killed without remorse, and who used ritual and superstition to justify his monstrous acts.

But it is also a story of justice — of the police, journalists, and ordinary citizens who refused to be intimidated, who sought the truth, and who ultimately brought a killer to justice.

As Kolandar sits in his cell, serving a sentence he once laughed at, his legacy is a warning to all: Evil can wear many faces, and sometimes, it smiles.

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