Cyanide Mohan Kumar gets life sentence in DK woman rape-murder case

coastaldigest.com news network
February 25, 2018

Mangaluru, Feb 25: The sixth Additional District and Sessions Judge D.T. Puttarangaswamy here on Saturday sentenced to life “Cyanide” Mohan Kumar on finding him guilty of murdering a 28-year-old woman by administering cyanide to her.

As per the charge-sheet, Mohan Kumar introduced himself as Shashidhar Poojary to the 28-year-old woman, a resident of Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada. He promised to marry her and took the woman to a lodge in Hassan on September 23, 2009.

The next day, he asked her to remove her jewellery in the room and sent her to a public toilet at the bus stand nearby to consume pregnancy prevention pill. The woman went to the toilet and consumed the pill given by Mohan Kumar. However, the pill contained cyanide.

While the woman died in the bus stand, Mohan Kumar vacated the room and left the place with her jewellery. He sold the jewellery to some jewellers in Mangaluru, the charge-sheet said.

Prosecutor Judith O.M. Crasta examined 38 witnesses, including the lodge owner, the person who had sold cyanide to Mohan Kumar and the jewellers who purchased the jewellery.

The judge sentenced Mohan Kumar to death and imposed a fine of Rs. 3,000 on him for an offence under Section 302 (murder) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs. 3,000 for an offence under Section 376 (rape) of IPC, six years imprisonment and Rs. 3,000 fine for an offence under Section 366 (kidnapping) of IPC, seven years imprisonment and Rs. 3,000 fine for an offence under Section 328 (administering stupefying drugs) of IPC, five years imprisonment and Rs. 3,000 fine for an offence under Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of IPC, five years imprisonment and Rs. 3,000 fine for an offence under Section 392 (robbery) of IPC and five months imprisonment for an offence under Section 417 (cheating) of IPC. All these sentences will run concurrently, the judge said.

Mohan Kumar, a former teacher, has been charge-sheeted by police in 20 cases of murder of women by using cyanide. Including the murder of the 28-year-old woman, he has been convicted in five cases.

The District Sessions Court has already sentenced him to death for the murder of a woman from Sullia on February 12, 2008, which was upheld by the High Court of Karnataka on November 15, 2017.

The High Court, however, overturned the death sentence awarded by the District Sessions Court and awarded life sentence to Mohan Kumar for the murder of two more women.

While acquitting Mohan Kumar in the murder of a 32-year-old woman from Bantwal, the High Court had sentenced him to five years imprisonment on finding him guilty of robbing her of her jewellery.

Also, the District Sessions Court had sentenced him to life for the murder of a woman from Puttur.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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News Network
December 3,2025

arrival.jpg

Mangaluru, Dec 3: A group of Congress workers gathered at the Mangaluru International Airport on Wednesday to welcome AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, but the reception quickly turned into a display of support for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Venugopal arrived in the city to participate in the centenary commemoration of the historic dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru. The event, organised by the Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, in association with the Mangalore University Sri Narayana Guru Study Chair, is being held on the university’s Konaje campus.

KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai and several party workers had assembled at the airport to receive Venugopal. However, the moment he stepped out, workers began raising slogans backing Shivakumar.

The university programme will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

This show of support comes just a day after Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar would lead the government “when the high command decides.” The chief minister made the comment after a breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence—another public display of camaraderie between the two leaders amid ongoing attempts by the party high command to downplay their leadership rivalry.

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