"Plumber, Murderer of Pensioners." Poland Investigates Case with Record Number of Victims

He had previously done repairs for them, and they trusted him. Now the man is suspected of six murders and robberies. In several episodes, according to the prosecutor's office, two Ukrainian citizens may have been involved, writes BBC — Ukraine.

Police are also checking other cases of deaths of elderly people that were previously considered natural.

According to sources from Gazeta Wyborcza, the case could become one of the largest series of murders in Poland's history.

It All Started with a Call to the Bank

Late evening, February 23, 2025. An elderly resident of Warsaw's Kabaty district calls the bank to change her card's PIN code. The employee helps her through the procedure but hears something strange and terrifying during the conversation.

"The moment of the murder was captured on recording — the elderly woman was strangled," said a police officer familiar with the case.

The bank employee called the police. Law enforcement found the suspect on a balcony one floor below the deceased's apartment. The man tried to escape but was apprehended.

It later emerged that this incident might be connected to other attacks on elderly women.

Michał P. was charged with six murders. According to the investigation, he was sometimes assisted by Ukrainian citizens: Ihar Kh. and Taras Kh.

Both Ukrainians, like Michał, are in custody.

The investigation believes that it was not only about murders. The attackers also took money, jewelry, and other valuable items from the apartments.

The Craftsman Who Was Invited for Coffee

Michał is 43 years old. He is married and has a child, but does not live with his family.

He earned money through plumbing work, was fond of gambling, and even used drugs. At the time of his arrest, he was under their influence.

According to the investigation, his profession helped the man gain people's trust. He repaired faucets, cleaned pipes, and got to know residents.

His phone number was passed on to neighbors and acquaintances, so elderly women considered him a trustworthy craftsman.

He had been in contact with some elderly clients for months. They invited him for coffee, treated him to homemade pastries. One woman even lent him money. She survived and later told the police that during their meetings, the man shared his family problems with her.

However, as the investigation claims, in other cases, acquaintance with the craftsman ended quite differently.

Michał could return to clients under minor pretexts, and then attack them. He was likely particularly interested in lonely women in whose homes he noticed valuable items.

According to the prosecution, the man and his accomplices entered apartments under the guise of repairs, threatened the owners with murder, and demanded money and valuables.

Some women were tied up and then strangled. Upon leaving, the attackers locked the doors with keys they took from the owners.

Gazeta Wyborcza also notes that Michał had a backpack with gloves, adhesive tape, and plastic ties.

Initially, he likely meticulously tried to hide his tracks. Later, according to experts, he became less careful.

"If he hadn't lost vigilance, he could have continued killing for a long time," RMF24 quotes one of the investigators.

A police profiler suggests that the man might have believed in his own impunity.

In one of the apartments, investigators found numerous biological traces, fingerprints, and shoe prints.

Two Ukrainians Among the Suspects

As the investigation progressed, it turned out that Michał P., according to the prosecution, did not always act alone. Two Ukrainian citizens — Taras Kh. and Ihar Kh. — are involved in the case.

33-year-old Taras was arrested in February 2025, shortly after Michał. The men had lived together for several months in a Warsaw district.

The prosecution believes that Taras participated in the murder of an elderly woman.

He is also accused of helping to remove stolen items from the apartment. This occurred after a murder that, according to the investigation, Michał committed alone.

Stolen items included jewelry, paintings, cutlery, vinyl records, and designer bags. In one case, a bank card issued by a Swedish bank disappeared from the apartment.

Another episode is related to the attack on Barbara, a former neurologist.

Shortly before the attack, two men introduced themselves as employees of the building management organization and stated that they had come to check the plumbing.

Barbara's neighbor suspected something was wrong and called her to warn her about the strangers. But Barbara replied that the men were already in her home. Soon after, the woman died.

According to the autopsy results, the probable cause of death was a heart attack.

Taras Kh. admitted the charges against him but stated that in one of the episodes, he did not intend to kill the woman, but only to rob her.

The second alleged accomplice, Ihar, was arrested in November 2025 — almost a year after the crimes that the investigation links to him.

According to the prosecution, in December 2024, he, along with Michał, killed two elderly sisters who lived in one apartment in the center of Warsaw.

And in January 2025, investigators believe, they killed another solitary resident of Warsaw.

Separately, a Polish citizen, Yaroslav, is involved in the case.

The prosecution alleges that he twice pawned items stolen from the victims' apartments at Michał's request.

75 Thousand Photos and Dozens of Suspicious Deaths

According to Gazeta Wyborcza, about 75,000 photos were found on Michał's phone.

Among them were photos of items from the robbed apartments.

This prompted the police to re-examine the deaths of elderly people who lived alone and died at home in Warsaw in previous years.

Investigators are also paying attention to details that might not have raised suspicion before.

For example, open windows in the middle of winter — so that the smell from the body would not be detected as quickly by neighbors.

Largest Series of Murders in Poland?

The investigation is ongoing, and it is not yet known how many deaths may be linked to this case.

"This could be a serial killer with the longest list of victims in Poland, and possibly in Europe," RMF24 quotes a police officer involved in the investigation.

However, for now, this is only an assumption, not an established fact.

For comparison: Pole Paweł T., known by the nickname "Scorpion," was convicted of nine murders in the 1980s.

Zdzisław Marchwicki, known as the "Vampire of Zagłębie," was convicted of murdering 14 women in the 1970s.

Currently, Michał P. is accused of six murders. Taras Kh. and Ihar Kh. are accused of involvement in individual episodes. Whether other deaths are linked to this case is yet to be determined by the police.

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