CYANIDE MALLIKA - INDIA'S FIRST WOMAN SERIAL KILLER

Bangalore, India's first woman serial killer was arrested December 30th, 2007.

K D Kempamma alias Mallika (43) a mother of three children, killed at least seven women in distress using cyanide.

On October 29, 1999, Mamata (30) was murdered in Hosakote. She used to visit the Jalageramma temple, where she met Mallika. Mallika advised Mamata to perform the ‘mandala pooja’ (The purpose of pooja is to communicate with God and the Gods, to keep a thread to continuity, of relationship, between this physical world and the subtle inner worlds) to overcome the problems her family was facing. She organized the pooja in Mamata’s house, in the absence of male members. Mallika asked her to close her eyes and pray. While doing so, she forcibly administered cyanide to Mamata, killing her and later robbing her valuables.

In the last three months she has murdered five women, all from Bangalore. Kempamma was arrested by the Kalasipalyam police when she was trying to dispose of the jewelry of the victims. She admitted to the crimes.

Mallika would visit temples near Bangalore pretending to be an ardent devotee, as she watched other women.  She was on the lookout for someone who looked troubled.  Once she found a woman who looked the part, she gained their confidence by listening to their troubles and then she would advise them to perform a special pooja to overcome their problems.

She offered to arrange the pooja in a temple on the outskirts of the city. 

Together, they would travel to a temple outside the city — the quarry wearing her jewelry on Mallika’s advice — and check in at a dharamshala (term for a rest house) by morning, the victim would be dead with her jewelry, money and cell phone missing.

She would forcefully make them drink water laced with cyanide by holding their nose.  Once the victim was dead, she would rob them of their jewelry and money.  In some cases she forced the cyanide through their open mouth by pulling their hair, usually while they are praying.  Sometimes she killed them while they were asleep.

On November 11, 2007, Elizabeth (52) was murdered in Sathnur. Mallika found out that Elizabeth’s grandson was missing. She assured her that the child would return home if she performed a pooja. Elizabeth agreed and she was taken to a temple in Sathnur, where the two rented a room. She was murdered the morning after.

On December 10, 2007, Yashodamma (60) was murdered in Kyatasandra. She was an asthma patient who was taken to Chikkakoratagere Kempmma temple by Mallika for a three-day ‘mandala pooja’. Later, Mallika took Yashodamma to Siddaganga Mutt, hired a room, and then killed her in the same fashion.

On December 15, 2007, Muniyamma (60) was killed in Amrathur. She was a singer of devotional songs and was promised by Mallika that she could earn money by recording the songs and selling them. Muniyamma was taken to Yediyur Siddalingeswara temple, where they hired a room. The victim was asleep when Mallika forced cyanide into her mouth.

On December 17, 2007, Pillamma (60) was killed in Maddur. She was the priestess in Hebbal Chikkakempamma temple. The accused befriended her and inquired if she was interested in building a temple. After discovering her interest, she convinced the deceased to accompany her to Vaidyanatheshwara temple in Maddur. Later she killed Pillamma in the same manner by administering poison, and then took her valuables.

On December 18, 2007, Nagaveni (30) was killed in Doddaballapur. She did not have a male child, and when Mallika found this, she grabbed the opportunity to arrange yet another killer ‘mandala pooja.’ She was taken to Ghati Subramanyeshwara temple, where they rented a room. Mallika strangled Nagaveni with an electric wire and then forced the poison into her mouth.
The police seized several dharamshala (room) keys from Mallika, who used to lock the rooms before leaving, as well as gold and silver jewelry, mobiles and SIM cards.

In 2001, she was arrested while trying to rob jewels from a house where she was performing a ritual. She was sentenced to six months imprisonment and was released after her term.

She killed her gullible victims in cold-blood while they were asleep or praying.

Even a few grams of cyanide powder can kill. It is absorbed into the body very fast, especially if administered below the tongue. It prevents the cells from receiving oxygen. The victim turns blue and is dead within 5-10 minutes. Cyanide, a powder at room temperature, is lethal as solid, liquid or gas. It can kill when mixed with food and kills faster when administered on an empty stomach.

Relatives of three women missing came to the Kalasipalyam police station and identified Kempamma as the person with whom the missing person was last seen.  Another family told the police that Kempamma might have killed their missing relative also. The cases of four missing women also are from 2007.

If Kempamma does not cooperate in the investigations, then police plan to seek the court's permission to subject her to narco-analysis. (Narco Analysis Test or Narco Test: This refers to the practice of administering barbiturates or certain other chemical substances, most often Pentothal Sodium, to lower a subject's inhibitions, in the hope that the subject will more freely share information and feelings.)

The police said the accused purchased cyanide from a gold polishing shop. The quantity of cyanide she purchased was enough to put to death at least 2,000 people.

Mallika will probably become a subject of forensic psychology as there's no documentation of women serial killers in the country.

Mallika — whose aliases include Lakshmi, Savithramma, Kempamma, Jayamma, Kala and Shivamoggamma — had deserted her family nearly a decade ago. Her son is a car driver with a travel agency. While one daughter holds a diploma in fashion designing, another is studying MA.

She allegedly committed all the murders single-handedly and for gain.