Netflix has debuted the first trailer for its upcoming true-crime documentary series, Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi. Based on the investigation and coverage of serial killings in the Indian capital, the series attempts to “painstakingly explain the sequence of events that led up to the arrest of this brutal murderer who dismembered his victims and scattered their body parts around the city.”
The one-and-a-half-minute trailer opens with a sweeping aerial shot of New Delhi, followed by what appears to be a recreation of how the first body was discovered by the police. The killer, we are told, dumped the remains of his victim at the gates of the city’s biggest prison—Tihar Jail—and taunted the cops with a note.
“I haven’t come across any such case in the last 23 years,” one talking head who isn’t identified in the trailer says ominously. Another person describes in great detail how the first body was discovered, in a basket of sorts, its throat slit. More killings followed, revealing a pattern. “We realized that there was someone out there committing these serial killings,” another talking head says, while the first person declares that “it was also obvious that (the killer) is a person who knows the system a little bit.”
Produced by VICE India and directed by Ayesha Sood, The Butcher of Delhi is presumably the first installment of a proposed Indian Predator series. When it was first announced last year, Indian Predator was described as a “thrilling and suspenseful docu-series that attempts to decode the minds of some of India's deadliest killers.” The Butcher of Delhi arrives as the streamer continues ramping up efforts to produce local true-crime programming. Last year, it released Crime Stories: India Detectives and House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths.
Sood said in a statement that the “non-fiction space” in India is constantly evolving, and that she is pleased to be involved in the creation of such a “riveting story.” She added:
“As a filmmaker, I am keen to learn something from every project that I develop, and understanding this story and the investigation that it ensued, led me to discovering a lot about human psychology and the justice system as well! I look forward to presenting through this docu-series on Netflix, a case that should have rocked the country but was missed.”
The Butcher of Delhi will be released on Netflix on July 20. You can watch the trailer here, and read a synopsis for the show down below:
A cold-blooded murderer carrying a grudge in his heart and angst against the system, committed grotesque killings in Delhi. With the police relentlessly trying to decode the serial killing, the diabolical killer left everyone involved perplexed and sent shivers down their spine. The docu-series painstakingly explains the sequence of events that led up to the arrest of this brutal murderer who dismembered his victims and scattered their body parts around the city. What followed the murders was a cat and mouse chase and an urgency for the cops to catch the killer before he claimed his next victim. Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi covers the Delhi Police's investigation, succession of the case and their race against time to arrest the criminal and understand the rationale behind his actions.