Chandrakant Jha was born in 1967 in the state of Bihar, India. He grew up in a humble rural setting and later migrated to Delhi in search of work. There, he made a living as a vegetable seller and hawker in local weekly bazaars. He was married twice. His first marriage ended quickly—he abandoned his first wife within a year. With his second wife, he had five daughters, though he mostly lived away from his family. Jha was known to be controlling and had a strong sense of moral conduct—especially toward other migrant workers. He claimed to help new arrivals from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh find shelter and odd jobs, but his behavior quickly turned volatile when they disobeyed him or violated his expectations, especially over petty things like eating meat or lying.

Chandrakant Jha’s killing spree began in 1998, when he murdered and dismembered a man named Birju. He was arrested for the crime but released in 2002 due to lack of evidence. After his release, Jha resumed killing with disturbing confidence. Between 2003 and 2007, he killed at least five more known victims: Shekar and Umesh in 2003, Guddu in 2005, Amit in 2006, and finally Upender and Dalip in 2007. Each victim was strangled to death, usually after petty disputes, and then dismembered. Jha’s crimes escalated in brutality and boldness. He would leave body parts around Delhi—often outside Tihar Jail—and include handwritten notes mocking the police and daring them to catch him.

The investigation took years to close in on Jha. In 2007, police finally apprehended him. He was convicted in February 2013 for the murders of Amit, Upender, and Dalip. The court sentenced him to two death sentences and one life imprisonment term. However, in January 2016, the Delhi High Court commuted both death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of remission, citing a lack of evidence that the murders qualified as “rarest of rare.”

Despite his gruesome record, Jha continued to seek parole. His 2022 request was denied. In August 2023, however, he was granted 90-day parole by the High Court to arrange a marriage for his eldest daughter—raising controversy given the nature of his crimes. To date, authorities believe Jha may have killed up to 18 individuals, though only six were proven in court.