Chhattisgarh Police Arrest Man for Eight Murders Laced with Rat Poison

Police in Chhattisgarh’s Baloda Bazar district arrested 46-year-old Ramsahay Jaiswal on June 22 in connection with the deaths of eight village residents in Kharve. Investigators allege that the grocery shop owner systematically poisoned his drinking companions by lacing local alcohol with a potent rat poison known as Suhaga. The victims, mostly men in their 50s, reportedly died between February and May, with their deaths initially attributed to natural causes such as heart attacks by local medical professionals.

The link between the eight deaths was only established after villagers noticed a pattern: all victims had shared alcohol with Jaiswal. Suspicions intensified following the collapse of a younger, healthy resident, Kartik Kumhar, who survived after consuming liquor provided by the suspect. The community’s growing alarm eventually led to a formal police complaint on June 6, resulting in the registration of eight separate FIRs. The suspect, previously viewed as an affable member of the community, is now accused of committing the murders following long-standing personal and property-related disputes.

The scale of the tragedy has left the village of 1,000 in deep shock, with initial fears that the deaths were a result of divine displeasure or local omens. Families of the deceased are seeking answers as the investigation continues into how the poisonings went undetected for months. The arrest brings an end to a period of uncertainty for the village, though the incident highlights significant gaps in the reporting and investigation of sudden deaths in rural settings.