Two and a half months after 46-year-old Ramsahay Jaiswal was arrested for allegedly murdering eight men from Kharve village in Chhattisgarh’s Baloda Bazar district, a report by the forensic science laboratory (FSL) has confirmed at least five victims were poisoned. Two reports are pending, while forensic samples could not be collected in one case where the victim was cremated.

The village, with a population of over a thousand people, noticed something was off when men started dying one after another. The only common link: They had shared a drink with the accused or consumed liquor provided by him.

The first death took place on February 7, when Badri Patel (58), a mason, was found dead at his home by his daughter. The last to die, on May 14, was Mahetru Sahu (40).

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Unable to grasp what was happening, villagers had called priests and conducted prayers, but Mahetru’s death finally made them suspicious of the accused, Jaiswal.

They started discussing how each victim had consumed liquor provided by him. It soon emerged that a 23-year-old labourer, Kartik Kumhar, had started vomiting immediately after consuming such a drink.

On June 6, the villagers submitted a written complaint to the police, and a probe led to his arrest on June 22.

(Left to Right) Badri Patel was killed on February 7, Chatturam Sahu was killed on March 2, and Gajanan Manjhi was killed on April 28

The probe revealed that the accused held a grudge against each victim. “He had different reasons, accusing them of abusing him, eyeing his wife, owing him money, or performing black magic on him,” said an official. “He also felt he never got the respect he deserved from the village.”

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(left) Butlu Ram Sahu was killed on February 21; Mahetru Sahu was killed on May 14

As the probe progressed, seven bodies buried by family members were exhumed. A post-mortem was conducted, and viscera samples were sent to the FSL lab in Raipur.

At the time, police suspected that Jaiswal used suhaga, a toxic substance used to kill rats, to lace the drinks.

The FSL report was recently sent to the Baloda Bazar police, which confirmed that the samples tested positive for borax and cyanide, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai told .