https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

The Cop who Captured India’s Most Notorious Serial Killer Passes Away

Alex Fialho, the Mumbai policeman who put a lid on serial killer Raman Raghav’s career in crime, is no more.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Alex Fialho, the Mumbai policeman who rose to fame half a century ago by apprehending India’s most infamous serial killer Raman Raghav, has died at the age of 92.

Charged with killing 41 people in Mumbai with the single blow of a hammer,  all his victims sleeping on pavements at the moment of sudden death, Raman Raghav for long remained the most sought after criminal for a bevy of trophy-hunting cops. His killing spree, which terrorized Mumbai and sent shockwaves all across the country, continued from 1966 to 1968.

In 1968, Alex Fialho, then a sub-inspector at Dongri Police Station, apprehended Raman Raghav from the Bhendi Bazaar area of the metropolis. It happened just like that, in the blink of an eye. No informer-based tip off, nor any other kind of prior information; why, Alex did not even have proper photograph of the killer. It was just a chance meeting between the two on a busy road. It was exactly the kind of stuff a crime novelist conjures in his or her imagination. Only this time, it was for real.

Raman Raghav has been the central character of many television dramas and films. Noted film director Anurag Kashyap- of Gangs of Wasseypur fame- also made a film on the dreaded serial killer.

Alex Fialho, the cop who put a full stop on Raghav’s story, breathed his last on Friday. According to his son Brian, he died of heart failure.

Soon after apprehending Raghav, Alex Fialho was promoted as an ACP in the Colaba Division.

In fact, the incidents leading to Raman Raghav’s arrest read like a fast-paced thriller. Like many fictional detectives such as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, who relied more on their instincts rather than the evidence at hand, Alex Fialho too acted on a mere hunch when he first met the serial killer. But it was a hunch tempered by years of sleuthing.

At the time of their chance encounter, Raman Raghav was dressed in khaki trousers, blue shirt and canvas shoes. He was holding an umbrella in one hand. Something about him raised suspicion in Alex Fialho’s mind- perhaps the result of accumulating years of mental impressions while dealing with criminals of all shades and types. He decided to test the man with umbrella. Very casually, the cop approached him. On seeing him, Raman Raghav did not panic- but he crossed over to the other side of the road a wee bit too quickly. This was enough for the trained eyes of Alex Fialho and he wasted no time in swooping upon the man.

Once in the police station, Raman Raghav tried to give an alibi as well as a fictitious name. But soon, his game was up.

It was perhaps decided by destiny that an ordinary sub-inspector carrying the name of Alex Fialho, with no great future prospects in sight, would one day cross the path of a dreaded serial killer on a busy Mumbai road. And from that moment, the lives of both of them would change dramatically.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Rajim Raipur MEMU train launch
CM Vishnu Deo Sai Flags Off New MEMU Train Between Rajim and Raipur, Boosting Rail Connectivity in Chhattisgarh
NTPC
NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Launches 2 MW Rooftop Solar Project in Tamil Nadu
Indian Navy DSC A20 induction
Indian Navy Inducts First Indigenously-Built Diving Support Craft 'DSC A20' from Titagarh Rail Systems
dehradun-dm-savin-bansal_aa2768654aaa8b746af08aa32e6dc07d
Who is IAS Officer Savin Bansal? Dehradun DM in Spotlight After Clash with Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi
BPCL_Rahul_Dravid
BPCL’s MAK Lubricants Launches Nationwide Radio Campaign to Honour Mechanics Across India
Oil India OIL AGM
Oil India Reports Record Output, ₹7,000 Cr Profit at 66th AGM; Unveils Green Energy & Net Zero Roadmap
Rajesh Kumar Singh
Indian Defence Service of Engineers (IDSE) Marks 76th Raising Day with Focus on Infrastructure and Technology
IREDA
IREDA Approves ₹1,134 Crore Loan to Insolation Green Energy for 4.5 GW Solar Cell Manufacturing Plant in Madhya Pradesh
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr. S.K
Technology Meets Ecology: IFS Dr S K Srivastava’s Game-Changing Innovations in Forest Management | Eco Warrior Awards 2025 Interview
IFS Uttam Kumar Sharma Interview
From Extinction to Exhilaration: The Untold Story and Future Vision of Project Cheetah | Led by IFS Uttam Kumar Sharma | Eco Warrior Awards 2025
K M Abharna IFS Eco Warrior Awards 2025
Meet K. M. Abharna, the IFS Officer Behind Avni’s Case and Vidya Balan’s Sherni Role
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Ishwarlal Gurjar UPSC
10th Grade Failure to Indian Police Service: Ishwarlal Gurjar’s UPSC Success Path
Read the inspiring journey of Ishwarlal Gurjar from a small village in Rajasthan to becoming an IPS officer....
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
Social Media
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
Tamil Nadu Gaur Rescue
Tiruchirappalli Forest Officials Risk Lives to Rescue Juvenile Gaur; Video Shared by IAS Officer Goes Viral
Trichy forest and fire teams risk lives to rescue a juvenile Indian gaur; IAS officer Supriya Sahu shares...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Rajim Raipur MEMU train launch
CM Vishnu Deo Sai Flags Off New MEMU Train Between Rajim and Raipur, Boosting Rail Connectivity in Chhattisgarh
NTPC
NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Launches 2 MW Rooftop Solar Project in Tamil Nadu
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr. S.K
IFS Uttam Kumar Sharma Interview
K M Abharna IFS Eco Warrior Awards 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT