Mohan KUMAR

AKA "Ananda"

Classification: Serial killer
Characteristics: Rape - Robberies
Number of victims: 20
Date of murders: 2005 - 2009
Date of arrest: October 21, 2009
Date of birth: 1963
Victims profile: Young women aged 22-35-years
Method of murder: Poisoning (cyanide)
Location: Karnataka, India
Status: Convicted in three cases

Serial killer convicted in 3rd case

IndianExpress.com

December 19, 2013

Former primary school teacher Mohan Kumar, 50, who allegedly poisoned 20 young women to death using cyanide between 2003 and 2009 was convicted in a third case Wednesday. He had been convicted in two cases Tuesday. The fourth additional and district sessions court in Mangalore, where all victims of Kumar belonged, will pronounce sentences in the cases on Thursday.

The serial killer was convicted Wednesday of murdering Sunanda, 32, of Sullia in Mangalore region. Sunanda had disappeared on February 11, 2008, after she left home saying she was going to a temple nearby. She was found dead at the state bus stand in Mysore that night.

The police said Kumar lured Sunanda with the promise of marriage after befriending her through a series of meetings in Dakshina Kannada district using the fake identity Shashidhar. He took her to a lodge in Mysore on February 11, poisoned her with cyanide at the bus stand in the evening and decamped with her gold ornaments.

Employees of a finance company where Kumar pawned the gold and that of the lodge in Mysore where he stayed with Sunanda were witnesses in the case.

Mangalore Fast Track Court in a fix over cyanide Mohan Kumar’s cases

The New Indian Express

May 29, 2011

Mangalore: Fast Track Court faced a dilemma when Cyanide Mohan Kumar’s case came up for hearing on Saturday.

Fast Track Court judge Ninge Gowda Janthila while inviting suggestions from special public prosecuter Cheyabba Beary to prevent confusion, said there were two options to tackle the dilemma. The first option before them was to try al the 13 cases at a stretch every month or hear a bunch of cases not exceeding more than four cases every month.

After trying these cases up to a certain stage, the verdict in all cases would be declared simultaneously, the judge opined. Later, beary told Express that the best option on hearing the cases would be decided after holding consultations with legal experts, top brass in CID and police department.

Cyanide Mohan appeared in the Mysore Fast Track Court and Judge Ninge Gowda Janthila personally favoured a special Court to try all his 20 cases. “This way, the Court not only conduct hearings at a stretch, but also dispose off cases quickly,” the judge stressed. It was revealed that the High Court had rejected suggestions on a special Court and had directed that the cases should be heard in a Fast Track Court.

The Court politely turned down the request of an applicant who expressed a desire to take repossession of gold which was now in the custody of the police. The court was told on how the person from Bajpe had borrowed gold jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh from the applicant on the pretext of wearing them to a marriage.

The applicant was informed that the jewellery which formed a part of crucial evidence was in safe custody and will be handed over to it’s rightful owner after the disposal of the case.

Cyanide Mohan who was presented in Mysore Court in connection with a Cyanide poisoning case on Friday, returned to city on Saturday noon, resulting in his conspicuous absence during the hearing held on Saturday

Serial killer Mohan Kumar brought to Kodagu

The Times of India

November 2, 2009

MADIKERI: Serial killer Mohan Kumar, who confessed to have committed about 20 murders, was brought to Kodagu by the South Canara police.

The accused was taken to Kushalnagar and Madikeri for investigation. He confessed to have killed five women in Kodagu.

He said he killed four women at Madikeri bus stand and one at Kushalnagar. He admitted to have killed Sharada from Puttur on January 23, 2009, Baby Nayak of Bantwal on January 3, 2009 and Vinutha from Puttur on September 17, 2009. The details of the fourth death is yet to be ascertained. He confessed to have killed Vijayalakshmi of Kasaragod on February 29, 2009 at Kushalnagar bus stand.

ACP Chandragupta and his team brought the serial killer from Puttur. Finding that Mohan's head was bandaged, the press asked the police about the injury. The police stated that the accused tried to bang his head against a wall in the prison due to regret, injuring his forehead.

Mangalore: Serial Killer Mohan Kumar Confesses to 20th Murder

Daijiworld.com

November 1, 2009

MANGALORE: Mohan Kumar, who has confessed to killing 19 women by giving them cyanide, according to the police, has confessed to killing another woman in Bangalore in 2007.

Kumar confessed that he had killed Poornima (35) after her parents identified him at the Bantwal divisional police station on Saturday. Superintendent of Police A.S. Rao told The Hindu that Poornima was a resident of Manjeshwar in Kerala. After reading reports about the crime committed by Kumar, Poornima’s parents decided to visit Bantwal. When Kumar was presented before them, they immediately identified him as the person who had approached them seeking their permission to marry Poornima. Kumar is said to have confessed to his 20th murder immediately.

This case marks a departure in the modus operandi of Kumar, according to Mr. Rao. In other cases, Kumar never appeared before anybody who knew the victims. Kumar is said to have told the police that he took Poornima to Bangalore and they checked into a lodge in the Majestic area in Upparpet police station limits, where he killed her.

However, the investigating officers have not been able to locate the unnatural death report that would have been filed in case Poornima’s body was found in Upparpet police station limits. Also, as in several other cases, Poornima’s family failed to register a “missing person report” in the police station.

Caught: Teacher who killed 18 women

October 29, 2009

Mohan Kumar (45), a physical education teacher who allegedly became a serial killer, was caught by the Mangalore police for killing 18 women and robbing them of jewellery over the last five years. The police stumbled upon him while investigating the case of Anitha, who went missing from her hometown Bantwal in Mangalore district on June 17. Anitha was Kumar’s 18th victim.

Inspector General of Police (western range) Gopal B Hosur said, "Kumar would first befriend girls with the line Do I know you? I have seen you somewhere."

If the girl responded positively, Kumar would introduce himself and befriend her posing as an eligible bachelor.

After a couple of meetings, he would propose and persuade the girl to elope with him to a nearby town. He would then spend a night with the girl in a lodge, promising to marry her at a temple the next day.

Next, Kumar would take the girl to a nearby bus stand and make her take two cyanide pills, claiming that they were contraceptive pills. He would warn the girls that they were likely to vomit after consuming the pills and so it would be better if they swallowed the pills in the washroom of the bus stand.

"The women would take the tablets and within minutes drop dead. He would then flee from there taking gold valuables from them," the IG said.

Ten of the murders took place at Mysore bus stand, three at Madikeri bus stand, two at Hassan bus stand, two at Bangalore bus stand and one at Kollur temple in Udupi district.

On finding the bodies, the local police would invariably register it as a suicide due to a love affair gone awry. But when the Bantwal police probed his link with Anitha, he was caught.

Hosur said, "We have verified all his confessions and found dead bodies of women in different places like Mysore, Bangalore and Madikeri."

Superintendent of Police A S Rao said, "The arrested person is unable to recollect the names of some girls. There are chances that the investigation will reveal more victims."

Who is mohan?

Mohan Kumar alias Anand is a resident of Kanyana in Bantwal taluk, near Mangalore. He was a physical education teacher in Kanyana.

He joined the service in 1980 on a temporary basis.

He had divorced his first wife while his second and third wives lived in separate homes.

After being sacked in 2003, Kumar allegedly hit upon the idea of luring young women, having sex with them, killing them and robbing them of their valuables for quick money.

Parallels with ‘Cyanide’ Mallika

Mohan Kumar’s horrific tale of crime is similar to Mallika aka Cyanide Mallika alias Kempamma alias Jayamma who poisoned over 10 women and robbed them of their valuables. Mallika, who started her crime spree in October 1999, was finally caught by the Bangalore police on Dec ember 30, 2007, while she was trying to sell stolen jewellery. Her modus operandi was to trap women in distress and take them to temples and lace their food with cyanide. After killing the women, she would decamp with their jewellery. All her victims were found in temples, while Kumar would also allegedly lure his victims to temples at major cities like Bangalore and Mysore.

Mallika began her killing spree after incurring a huge loss in the chit fund business and also separating from her husband. Kumar’s criminal career is said to have begun in 2000, when he tried to throw a girl who refused to marry him into the Nethravati river. A witness called the police and he was detained on attempted murder charges. Though he was released on bail, the criminal offence lost him his school job. In 2003, he began his alleged serial killing spree.

Director General and Inspector General of Police Ajai Kumar Singh said in a release that the case was a rude awakening for young ladies falling into the trap of such offenders, especially since the victims had not informed their family about the issues.

Bantwal: Serial Killer Mohan Kumar Attempts to Commit Suicide in Toilet

Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

October 25, 2009

Bantwal: Toilets, which witnessed the killings of girls by serial killer Mohan Kumar, would have witnessed another death, in the form of suicide by Mohan himself. On Saturday, he reportedly tried to commit suicide in the toilet of the rural police station here, police sources said.

At around 5.30 am on Saturday October 24, the policemen were waiting outside the toilet, after allowing Mohan Kumar to go in to relieve himself. They grew suspicious after hearing some sound from inside. On opening the door, they found that Mohan had been banging his head against the tiled wall of the toilet, in an attempt to kill himself. His head was injured and blood was oozing out profusely. He was taken to Bantwal hospital, where his wound was closed by applying stitches. He was later admitted into the district Wenlock Hospital for advanced treatment.

He was later taken to some places where he had reportedly pledged the ornaments of the girls he had killed earlier. On Sunday, he has been taken to Hassan to gather more details about the murders he had committed there.

Mangalore: The Many Missing Links to Serial Killer Mohan Kumar Case

by Florine Roche & Rajesh Shetty - Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

October 23, 2009

Mangalore: The confession of killing of 18 women by serial killer Mohan Kumar has sent shock waves among the people of undivided Dakshina Kannada District for whom the revelation is yet to sink in. That Mohan Kumar could get away with his heinous crimes for the past 5 years is shocking and has giving rise to many speculations on the collective failure of the law enforcers and also that of the society.

That Mohan Kumar was picking up his victims with excessive care is evident from the fact that most of his victims were from the low socio-economic background and were in the age group of late 20s and early 30s. A glib talker Mohan zeroed in on the victims in public places and charmed his way into their hearts with the promise of marriage without dowry. Puttur assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Dr Chandragupta who led the investigation that netted in Mohan Kumar says “The idea of lack of marital prospects must have prompted them to acquiesce to the idea of marrying without dowry”.

Lack of co-ordination

While the police cannot absolve themselves from the responsibility of their failure the lack of information from the parents of victims and sometimes misinformation (not deliberate) resulted in giving a long rope to Mohan Kumar. Dakshina Kannada superintendent of police Dr Subramaneyeshwar Rao speaking to Daijiworld said “we are focusing on strengthening the co-ordination between districts with regard to sharing information especially with regard to investigations into unidentified bodies and those cases of missing persons. A little effort on the part of the police in finding the common link of girls missing with cash and jewellery and their mysterious deaths in toilets, many of them in Mysore police limits would have pointed the needle of suspicion towards Mohan Kumar long back,” he said.

When asked whether it was the lack of effort on the part of police in solving these cases of 18 murders he said “it is easy to assume that the police have failed when one comes to the nitty-gritty of such cases. One has to understand the difficulties involved in such cases especially when family members of victims do not come forward with adequate information and sometimes misinform the police that completely dilutes the investigation. In the case of the victims of Mohan Kumar many parents were oblivious that their daughter had an affair with him. Sometimes the information provided about their affairs created more problems than solving it”. He however said that the police had zeroed in on him much before the Anitha case. It was the Anitha murder case that finally nailed him resulting in his arrest.

Communal overtones to missing case

But for the communal overtones attained by the missing case of Anitha of Bantwal taluk when Hindu organizations exerted pressure on the police, suspecting her missing under mysterious circumstances to be the case of the much talked about ‘love jehad’ that paved the way for setting up a special squad under Puttur ASP Dr Chandragupta to go into the details of her murder, many more vulnerable girls would have paid with their lives in the hands of this serial killer. That he could hoodwink young girls many a times, half his age, shows the vulnerability of these girls coming from low socio-economic background, who are exploited by people like Mohan Kumar.

With more skeletons coming out of the cupboard everyday the Mohan Kumar case has certainly created a kind of fear psychosis. It is not the time for blame game but to focus on how to take preventive measures so that we can avoid such incidents in future. Dr Subrahmanyeshwar says “from the point of view of the public parents have to have some idea about the people with whom their daughters are in contact with. Young girls should take their parents and siblings into confidence and give some information about the men they are in contact with. This is a wake up call for all of us, the public and the police. On our part we will focus on strengthening the inter-district co-ordination in solving unnatural deaths and suicides cases. This case has also strengthens the need to investigate thoroughly all suicide cases or in cases of unidentified bodies”.

He called upon the people to help the police by providing as much information as possible when a person is missing. Sometimes parents give an old school photograph of girls which is difficult to match with the decomposed bodies further complicating the case. Whenever people are found missing, the complaint to this effect has to be filed immediately which might help the police to obtain vital clues.

While the brutal incidents involving Mohan are coming out public wonders whether there is enough evidence to send him to the jaws of death. A police official on condition of anonymity says that there is no guarantee that Mohan Kumar could be implicated in the cases. There is hardly any evidence to show his involvement in the murders and he may just retract his earlier confessions.

Eminent criminal lawyer Padma Prasad Hegde however says “there is enough evidence to put him behind the bars or award a death penalty to him. The fact that he was the last to be seen with the victims is enough for the courts to implicate him. He has also confessed to his crimes leading to the recovery of many valuables and linking the deaths of other missing women. There is also practically no explanation from him on why the police charged him. As per the Supreme Court directives these evidences are enough to punish him in the court of law”.

It is very disheartening that many young girls have paid with their lives falling prey to the lecherousness of this loquacious, street-smart marauder who exploited them to the tilt for his own sexual shenanigans. While we pride ourselves on belonging to the land of the intelligent and the educated incidents of this nature is flak on the ills plaguing us! The public and the law enforces have to work in co-ordination to ensure such incidents do not recur.

Mangalore: No. 19: Police Uncover Yet Another Victim of Serial Killer Mohan

By Mounesh Vishwakarma - Daijiworld Media Network—Bantwal (RD/CN)

October 23, 2009

Bantwal: The name of yet another woman has been added to the list of victims of serial rapist and killer Mohan on Friday October 23.

The sleuths investigating the serial murders stumbled upon the case of 26-year-old Shashikala who was reported missing at Konaje police station, located on the outskirts of Mangalore, on October 21, 2005.

Shashikala is the daughter of Narayan Madivala, resident of Kaniyoor in Balepuni village, near here.

She worked as an assistant in a children’s nursery. She left her home on October 21, 2005, to attend a nursery assistants’ meeting and had been missing since then.

Though a case was registered, no major breakthrough was made until the police obtained information from Mohan during interrogation.

The dead body of Shashikala was found in Bangalore and a case of suicide was registered at Upparapete police station. The postmortem report confirmed that it was suicide by consuming cyanide. This matches the modus operandi of the serial killer.

Mohan confessed to killing Shashikala after he was brought to the rural police station here and her parents identified their daughter from the pictures in the police records.

The investigators are also looking at three other cases of missing women in Dakshina Kannada district, though the involvement of Mohan has not been established in these cases during interrogation.

“The probe has revealed that 12 missing women are victims of serial killer Mohan,” said Puttur ASP Dr Chandra Gupta.

Shantha of Kankanady, Vinutha of Puttur, Sharada of Kedila, Shashikala of Kariyangala, Baby Nayak of Peraje, Anita of Barimar, Hema of Mittoor, Vijayalaxmi of Kasargod, Yashoda of Madantyar, Pushpa of Mulleria, Sunanda of Pervaje, now Shashikala of Kaniyoor, have been identified by their respective parents from photos in police records, informed the police.

Bantwal: Serial Killer Remanded to Police Custody

Daijiworld Media Nework - Bantwal (SP)

October 23, 2009

Bantwal: On being produced before the court at B C Road on Thursday October 22, serial killer Mohan Kumar alias Anand was remanded to police custody till October 27. During the time he was at the court, he behaved decently and it is gathered that he responded to the police questioning without any hesitation, remorse or doubts.

Local circle inspector Nanjunde Gowda and Puttur assistant superintendent of police, Chandragupta, opined that the fact that he always used mobiles registered in the names of other people, had rendered the task of the policemen in tracing the murderer difficult. After he killed a girl, he used to make use of the mobile he recovered from the girl so eliminated, to deceive and fleece the other girls, it is gathered.

It is apparent, that in most cases, the girls were from poor families and the families did not have the money power or influence to sustain pressure on the policemen for a detailed investigation. In most cases, they believed their wards had committed suicide. Strangely, the families had no clue that the girls from their homes were having an affair with Mohan. Because of this, even though there had been some clues in the past about Mohan's involvement in the murders, no in-depth investigations were conducted. For example, Sunanda (20) from Vaipala near Bellare in Sullia taluk, had started vomitting on February 11, 2008 at Mysore bus stand and had died thereafter. Even though her family was traced with the help of the mobile found in her possession, it was recorded as a death due to epileptic seizures. The family said, Sunanda had taken with her gold ornaments and Rs 65,000 in cash. The post mortem report that was reportedly received this week, after a gap of 20 months, said that her death was caused by cyanide consumption.

In the case of Kaveri from Peraje in Sullia taluk, her family members came to know that she had died, only after the media brought out the story of Mohan on Thursday. Although her body was recovered in Mysore earlier, the policemen had failed to find out her identity. The family had hoped that Kaveri, who had gone missing, will surface some time. Kaveri, it is learnt, was having a mobile sim given by her brother, Sridhar. Mohan, who did not know that the sim was in the name of Sridhar, had called up Anita. The family of Anita, who traced Anita's inward calls, found out the address of Sridhar and had beaten up Sridhar, thinking him to be the one who had called Anita. Sridhar said that the family members of Anita, who took him away to Bantwal in the guise of having to tell him something, had denuded him, beaten him up and laid him across the railway tracks. He said, he somehow escaped from the tracks, borrowed a lungi and shirt from some kind people and had then filed complaint with the Bantwal policemen about the incident.

Kaveri had left home on March 10 with a gold chain borrowed from neighbourers, golden rings of her brothers and Rs 40,000 in cash. The policemen, who delved deep into the issue while tracking Sridhar's case, realized that Mohan had made calls to the girls. When they approached Mohan thereafter, he was more than willing to confess to the killings he was involved with. The gentlemanly behaviour, innocent face and decent demeanours of Mohan had succeeded to hoodwink his family, wives, girls whom he murdered and the policemen alike for a long time, till his facade was torn off by the policemen, but not before nearly 20 girls had lost their lives. It is a mystery, however, that Mohan, who did not have a decent job in the recent past and was not young, succeeded in convincing 18 girls to marry him, in addition to the three who actually married him, at a time when several young boys are finding it hard to get girls who are willing to marry them.

Mangalore: Neighbours, Family, Refuse to Accept Mohan as Serial Killer

Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RS/CN)

October 22, 2009

Mangalore: A common man, a teacher by profession, is accused of being the murderer of 18 girls. People who are closely associated with him like his two wives, mother, mother-in-law, and neighbours, maintain that he lacked the ruthlessness that would have to be characteristic of a killer.

The reason why Mohan Kumar alias Bhaskara alias Ananda turned into a vicious killer is not clear but police records indicate that he had a greed for money, gold, and girls.

He has been termed a psychopath but his pattern of activities seems contrary to this. There were no indications all along that he suffered from any kind of psychological disorder.

Mohan, a resident of Kanyana in Bantwal taluk, never did anything that could have evoked the suspicion to his neighbours over the past five years. Even his two wives were unaware of his being a killer until his arrest.

His family wonders when he might have gone to Mysore, Madikeri, Bangalore, or any other place to kill the girls.

Third Wife Confused

His third wife, who resides in a village near Deralakatte, said that he never harassed her and was a loving husband who shared all his thoughts with her.

“I have never seen any cyanide in his possession. I used to check his handbag which contains a small mirror and some papers. He had a small plastic bottle filled with talcum powder. Whenever it was empty, he filled it with talcum powder from the actual container”, she said.

“I gave him money several times after borrowing from my ‘Swasahaya’ account. If he was connected to those killings, he would have earned a lot of money. Last year he bought me a golden chain. But now, the police have taken all the ornaments; mine as well as those which he gave me”, she added.

“Police took all the records from our house including a telephone book which contains our relatives’ contact numbers. After the arrest, we were not able to contact anyone, not even a lawyer”, added Mohan’s third wife.

“I met him at the office where I was working and friendship turned to love following which we got married”, she said.

She is from a reputed family and her grandfather was Patel of that village but since then her family has suffered due to land disputes with neighbours.

She said that in the early hours of Tuesday October 20 around 3.30 am, a police team arrived at the house. By midnight the next day, they handcuffed Mohan and took him away telling her “Mohan killed several girls".

No Bad Habits

“He never smoked or drank alcohol. In my wedded life only once did I see him bring home a bottle of alcohol and drink it”, claimed the third wife adding that it was just reluctance to drink at a bar that prompted him to do so.

Mohan’s second wife, who lives in Uppala, said that the she was not aware of his links to the girls and the killings. “He was in my house every two days, and spent the rest of the time with his third wife”, she said.

She recalled that when she came to know of his third marriage, she quarreled with him but he convinced her and she stopped quarrelling and compromised.

Both the wives tried to recall that he had a loan account for Rs 3.5 lac in a certain bank.

Mohan has two boys by his second wife, studying in classes seven and third, respectively, while the third wife has a daughter aged three and a son who is 10 months old.

A shopkeeper near Mohan’s house said that it was unimaginable that such a decent man would kill 18 girls.

His wives as well as his mother and mother-in-law said that he suffers from tuberculosis and acidity. He couldn’t take up any hard work but worked in a paddy filed and arecanut plantation at his third wife’s house.

His second wife said he kept accounts of every rupee spent and noted even daily expenses. She claimed he was a simple man and worried about unnecessary expenses.

She questioned as to how such a man could be accused of being greedy for ornaments and money.

Mohan’s 60-year-old mother spent the whole day pining for her son. “If anything happens to him I will not live long and will end my life by committing suicide”, said the mother who lives with her eldest son and his family.

She added that one of her sons had stopped visiting after he had had a love marriage. She also has a daughter and a son-in-law.

Mohan, whose name at birth was Bhaskara, is a Dalit. His mother wept and kept insisting that her son is innocent and has been framed.

“He took the rice and kerosene oil which I got from the ration store last week. He took it to his house at Uppala where his wife and children live”, she said.

Mohan lost his father in his childhood and his mother said that he is a loving son who cares for her all the time.

His neighbours stated that they found it hard to believe that Mohan was a murderer many times over.

In 2003, he was offered a teaching job at Angri School but refused to work for reasons unknown and that ended his teaching profession of 23 years.

He served as temporary teacher in various places in Puttur taluk after finishing his pre-university education.

Teacher turns serial killer

The Times of India

October 22, 2009

MANGALORE: Eighteen young women aged 22-35-years were the victims of teacher turned serial killer Mohan Kumar. His area of operation spanned the bus stations across Mysore, Madikeri, Hassan, Bangalore, and the Kollur temple. His modus operandi was to prey on young unmarried women luring them with a promise to marry them, have sex with them, and kill them by making them take cyanide as an anti-pregnancy measure.

When police started investigating the case of Anitha (22) of Barimaru in Bantwal who went missing on June 17, they got more than they bargained for. The special team investigating the case tracked the mobile phone of Anitha. A study of the calls from Anitha's phone revealed they were made to another girl, who was also reported missing and were able to track a person who was using the cell phone of a particular missing girl.

It was this person who led the police team headed by Puttur assistant superintendent of police Chandragupta to Mohan Kumar at his residence at Deralakatte near here. SP A S Rao said Mohan, educated up to PUC, joined government service as a teacher in a primary school on temporary basis in 1980. After being in and out of service and getting transferred to many places in the district for 23 years, he quit his job in 2003.

Mangalore: Serial Killer Who Accounted for 18 girls Arrested

Daijiworld Media Network- Mangalore (RS/SP)

October 21, 2009

Mangalore: A serial killer, who has allegedly confessed to having killed 18 girls during the past five years, was arrested by the Bantwal police on Wednesday October 21 from near Deralakatte near here, informed inspector general of police (western range), Gopal Hosur.

The arrested man, identified as Mohan Kumar alias Ananda (46), is a resident of Kanyana in Bantwal taluk. The policemen said that he has confessed to have committed 18 murders, and that all of his victims were girls. The offender had been serving as a teacher in a primary school near Angadi in Kanyana in Bantwal taluk, on a temporary basis from 1980 and quit his job in the year 2003. After quitting his job, he got engaged in criminal offences since 2005, snuffing away the lives of 18 young girls till 2009.

This has come as an extremely shocking and heartbreaking news for the civilized society, as the killer targetted innocent, unsuspecting girls from the poor families, and trapped them with the intention of raping them, said Gopal Hosur, adding that the alleged killer used to earn the confidence of the girls by offering to marry them. He married the girls who got trapped by his innocent façade and sweet words. As pre-planned, he would kill the girls a day after the marriage by offering them cyanide tablet, claiming it to be a medicine to prevent pregnancy.

The investigation of a case related to a missing girl named Anitha (22) resident of Barimaru village, gave the policemen, clues about the involvement of the offender. Working on the clues they got in this case, the Bantwal police traced the mobile list and got the contacts of the girl and found that the mobile set of that girl was used by this offender and later he was traced, said superintendent of police (SP), Dr A Subrahmanyeshwar Rao.

Out of the 18 girls, four belonged to Bantwal taluk, two to Sullia, three to Puttur, one to Moodbidri, two to Beltangady and one to Mangalore, while the other five were from Kasaragod district. The murders were committed at various places like ten at Mysore bus stand, three at Madikeri bus stand, two at Hassan bus stand, two at Bangalore bus stand and one at Kollur temple in Udupi district. The arrested claims that he has been unable to recollect the names of some of his victims. As such, the policemen believe that there are chances of more murder cases emerging after the investigation, said the SP.

The offender has confessed that he used to commit the crime with the sole objective of gaining access to the jewellery worn by the girls and also to satiate his sexual urge, said Chandragupta, assistant superintendent of police, Puttur division, who led the investigation along with Bantwal police inspector, Nanjunde Gowda, sub inspector Shivaprakash and his team.

The offender had married thrice and divorced his first wife, who was from Shiradi and the second and third wives live in separate houses, one at Deralakatte and other one at Uppala in Kasaragod district.

Statement by the SP:

`The modus operandi employed by the arrested is finding a target and immediately approaching the girls, by claiming that she resembles someone whom he knows well and then striking a conversation about her caste and family back ground. And finally he used to offer to marry the girl without dowry. While a few girls rejected his proposal, in most of the cases he approached, he succeeded in his plan, said the SP.

One fine day, he would invite the girl to a temple to complete the marriage rituals. After the ritual, he accommodated the girls at a lodge and forced them to have sex with him. The next morning, he used to take the girl to the local bus stand on the pretext of visiting a temple and before leaving the lodge, he used to ask the girls to remove the jewellery. At the bus stand, he would tell the girl that they had unprotected sex the previous night and therefore, demanded them to consume a medicine in power form he used to claim, would prevent the risk of pregnancy, inside the toilet of the bus stand. The innocent girls used to trust him and consumed the powder given by him, without knowing that it was cyanide, he explained.

After the girls collapsed due to the poison they had consumed, he managed to run away, and the girls were shifted to hospitals, he said, adding that these cases were registered as unnatural deaths and in most of the cases, these were recorded as unsolved cases.

These incidents happened at Mysore, Madikeri, Bangalore and Hassan bus stands and one near the Kollur temple, he said.

The gold ornaments belonging to Anitha, one of the missing girls, have been seized from him along with four mobile phones and eight tablets, he explained, adding that the provider of cyanide to the killer will soon be arrested, citing him as the abettor of the crime.

The unfortunate girls who were slain by the culprits were, Baby Nayak (25) resident of Peraje Near Sullia, Sharada (24) Kedila in Puttur taluk, Kaveri (30) Sampaje in Sullia, Pushpa(26) Mulleria in Kasaragod, Vinutha (24) Puttur, Hema (24) Mittur in Bantwal, Anitha (22) Barimar, Yashoda (26) resident of Madanthyar in Belthangady, Vijayalakshmi (26) Kasaragod, Sarojini (27) Uppala, Shashikala (28) Kariangala in Bantwal, Sunanda (25) Peruvaje near Sullia, Lelavathi (32)resident of Vamada Padav, Shantha (35) resident of Kankanady, Vanitha (22) Nelyady and Sujatha (28) Mucchur near Bajpe. The names of two more girls, both of whom are from Kasargod, are yet to be ascertained from the offender.