A local court in Faridabad has sentenced a 54-year-old man to life imprisonment for kidnapping and murdering a young woman in 2022, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Singh Raj, was found guilty by the court of Additional Sessions Judge Purushottam Kumar. Along with life imprisonment, the court also ordered him to pay a fine of more than ₹2.1 lakh.

Police said the case came to light after a woman from Bhupani village in Faridabad reported her 20-year-old niece missing in January 2022. Acting on the complaint, police registered a case and launched a search.

During the investigation, the remains of the missing woman were recovered on January 6, 2022. A day later, Singh Raj, a resident of Jasana village in Faridabad, was arrested.

During questioning, Raj confessed to killing the woman and dumping her body on the banks of the Agra Canal, police said.

Police further revealed that Raj admitted to killing five other people as well, including three minors. A charge sheet in the case was filed on March 30, 2022.

"During the trial, 29 witnesses testified...After hearing all parties, the court of Additional Sessions Judge Purushottam Kumar held (Raj) guilty on Tuesday, and the court sentenced him to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2.10 lakh today. Other cases are pending in the courts," a Faridabad police spokesperson said.

According to police records, Raj was working as a security guard at a private hospital in Sector 16, Faridabad. He first came under suspicion during the investigation of another case.

Police said that in 2019, Raj molested the daughter of a tea vendor and killed her when she resisted. In August 2020, he allegedly killed a 12-year-old girl inside the hospital after she resisted molestation.

In June 2021, Raj murdered another minor girl who worked as a cleaner at the same hospital, police added.

Apart from these crimes, Raj also confessed to killing his uncle and cousin.

Police said that while Raj has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2022 murder case, other murder cases linked to him are still pending before different courts.

The investigation and legal process in those cases are ongoing.