The Doctor Who Prescribed Death: Inside The Gruesome Crimes Of ‘Doctor Death' Devendra Sharma

News18

22-05-2025

Last Updated:
Once an Ayurvedic doctor, Sharma ran a deadly transplant racket, killed for profit, and vanished twice on parole — until police finally arrested him, hiding as a priest
What turned a mild-mannered Ayurvedic doctor into one of India's most cold-blooded serial killers? It was neck-deep debt and a greed for quick money that transformed Devendra Sharma, say old-timers from Aligarh, as they recollect Sharma's journey from a 'decent' doctor to 'Doctor Death'—a title he earned following his involvement in a string of brutal killings.
As news of Devendra Sharma's arrest on Monday by Delhi Police from an ashram in Rajasthan's Dausa spread, residents of his native village, Barauli in Aligarh, were left grappling with memories they had tried to bury for decades.
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It was a quiet day in Barauli, the very village Dr Sharma hails from—until the headlines hit: 'Doctor Death arrested after five years on the run." The man behind the moniker, Dr Devendra Sharma, once an Ayurvedic practitioner, was apprehended by Delhi Police in a Dausa ashram, where he had been hiding disguised as a priest. For the villagers of Aligarh, where his story began, the arrest reopened a chilling chapter in their collective memory.
'HE NEVER HARMED ANYONE HERE'
'He never harmed anyone here," said Rameshwar, an elderly man from Barauli village, Aligarh. 'We remember him as the man who used to sell gas cylinders for 500 rupees. That was over 30 years ago," he added.
A SCAM THAT SPARKED A KILLING SPREE
Born into an educated family, Sharma completed his BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) from Bihar before setting up a clinic in Rajasthan's Bandikui. He practised medicine for over a decade. But a failed business venture would change the course of his life—and death—for many others.
In 1994, Sharma lost Rs 11 lakh in a fraudulent deal while trying to secure a gas agency. The setback, his relatives say, broke him. From a trusted physician, he transformed into a man chasing money through the darkest alleys of crime.
ORGAN RACKET MASTERMIND
Officers familiar with Sharma's trajectory said that, to recover his losses, he set up a fake gas agency and began looting oil trucks. It was during this phase that he met Dr Amit from Aligarh, and the duo soon established an illegal kidney transplant racket that operated between 1998 and 2004. Over six years, Sharma allegedly facilitated more than 125 illegal kidney transplants.
Each transplant fetched him Rs 5–7 lakh. Victims came from impoverished regions—Bihar, West Bengal, and Nepal. When deals went sour or complications arose, Sharma did not hesitate to kill.
WHEN MURDER BECAME A HABIT
According to police, Sharma admitted to 'enjoying" murder. The transition from illegal doctor to remorseless killer was complete. Taxi drivers became his next targets. Sharma would hire taxis from Delhi, murder the drivers mid-route, and dump their bodies in the crocodile-infested Hazara Canal in Kasganj. 'The crocodiles ensured there was never any evidence," said one officer.
DUMPING BODIES, SELLING CARS
After disposing of the bodies, Sharma sold the stolen cars in scrap markets for just Rs 20,000–25,000. He eventually built a gang and earned a dreaded reputation. In 2004, his killing spree came to an end when he was arrested. Courts across Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana sentenced him to life, with one court in Gurugram awarding him the death penalty.
A SHOCKING RELEASE AND DISAPPEARANCE
In January 2020, Sharma was granted a 20-day parole for good behaviour—but instead of returning to jail, he jumped bail and remained at large for seven months before being apprehended in Delhi. Then, in June 2023, he was again granted parole for two months, but failed to return to prison. During his earlier disappearance, police discovered he had remarried and was living under a new identity in Delhi's Baprola area, even running a property business.
Convicted in multiple cases involving kidney rackets and serial killings, Sharma, now in his early sixties, earned the title 'Doctor Death" not by accident—but through methodical, cold-blooded acts that left a trail of untraceable victims.
The breakthrough came when his mobile number was recharged in Dausa, Rajasthan. Police traced the location to an ashram, where Sharma was living disguised as a priest. An undercover officer posed as a devotee to confirm his identity. After a week of surveillance, they arrested him.
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A VILLAGE HAUNTED BY A FAMILIAR NAME
Back in Aligarh, Sharma's name is spoken only in hushed tones. 'He studied well. His family was respected. His brother was in the CISF. How did he turn out like this?" wondered cousin Mahavir Singh. His ancestral house now stands in ruins, avoided by locals. His wife and children are said to have severed all ties. His brother, Surendra, quietly visits the village to oversee their seven-bigha land but avoids the spotlight.