Mangalore, Dec 17: Fourth Additional Sessions Court, Mangalore has convicted serial killer Mohan Kumar, in the murder cases of Vamadapadau Leelavati and Barimar Anita.
Mohan Kumar, a teacher by profession had made to death 20 young women by administering them with cyanide. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on December 19.
Anita went missing from Barimar on June 17, 2009. On June 20 Anita's brother had filed a complaint with Bantwal police, who found out that Anita had left the place with Mohan Kumar. The cops nabbed Mohan Kumar on October 21, 2009. During the interrogation, he revealed about Vamadapadau Leelavathi and several other murders committed by him.
Anita's end
On June 17, 2009, Mohan Kumar took Anita from B C Road bus stand to Hasan. At a lodge in Hasan, he established physical contact with Anita.
Next morning, Mohan Kumar had told Anita that she had to appear for an interview and hence she could leave back all her gold in the room. At Hasan bus stand, he managed to administer cyanide pill to Anita saying that it was a emergency contraceptive pill. Anita had consumed the pill and died in a toilet at the bus stand. Meanwhile, Mohan Kumar had come back to the lodge and fled with the ornaments.
The ornaments thus procured were pledged by him in two finance firms in Thokkottu.
Leelavati's case
Mohan Kumar had taken Vamadapadau Leelavathi from B C Road bus stand to Mysore. Even here, he first established physical contact with her and next day he administered cyanide pill saying that was a contraception pill.
Leelavathi had consumed the pill in toilet of KSRTC bus stand in Mysore.
Hearing
The hearing of the two cases was taken up by Fast Track Court on November 11, 2011. After one year, the Fast Track Court was wound up and the case was transferred to Mangalore Fourth Additional Sessions Court. The hearing of the case was resumed from June 10, 2012 and this is the first verdict on the case.
Modus operandi
Mohan Kumar's targets were those unmarried women who had crossed the marriageable age, earning a descent income but hailing from poor families.
He would first watch and identify his targets, then approach them and strike a conversation. On knowing their caste and village, he would introduce himself as someone of the same caste, unmarried and a government employee.
All of these qualifications used to instantly earn him the confidence of the women. To make his lie sound more convincing he had several visiting cards with different names and designations printed.
After a while, he would keep before the woman a proposal for marriage. He would later ask the woman to come out of the house with all the ornaments either promising marriage or a better paying job.
Once reaching an out station, he would first establish physical contact with the woman and next day, after getting their ornaments, he would administer a cyanide pill stating that it is an emergency contraceptive pill. The targets consume the pill in the toilet of public bus stand and die, while Mohan Kumar manages to escape with the ornament.
“Love Jihad”
When Anita missing case came to light several Hindutva organization staged stir stating that it was a clear case of “Love Jihad”, a term often used by Hindutva activists to allege Muslim youths of loving Hindu girls with the intention of converting them. These organizations demanded nabbing of the culprits at the earliest. When Bantwal Rural police went after the case what came out was a shocking serial killing case.
On investigation the police found that Mohan Kumar had killed 13 women from DK district and seven from other districts. Before the arrest of Mohan Kumar, Hindutva outfits in the district had held Muslim youths responsible for mysterious disappearance of those girls.
Circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidences have played a vital role in the case. In Anita murder case, there are people who had see Anita board the bus with Mohan Kumar at B C Road, the lodge staff have identified him, the signature done by Mohan Kumar under a fake name in the lodge register has been tallied, the ornaments of Anita were pledged by Mohan Kumar at a finance company in Thokkottu and even here his signatures have been tallied. The staffs at the finance company have identified him.
When Mohan Kumar was arrested the cops had seized cyanide from him and cyanide bottles were seized from the residence of his second wife at Belma.
Fake stamps and seals of various department, visiting cards and letter heads have been seized by the cops.
Two lucky targets
Two of Mohan Kumar's targets who had just got lucky to escape the plan were here to narrate the entire plot of the cyanide killer.
Sulochana was one of the first few targets of Mohan Kumar. She was reportedly pushed by Mohan Kumar from a bridge in Dharmasthala. However, she managed to survive.
Another target of Mohan Kumar who had gone to Madikeri with him managed to survive because she had grown suspicious over him. It was this suspicion, which had made her consumer a small portion of the pill, due to which she fell unconscious. Mohan Kumar thought she was dead and as usual fled the scene with the ornaments.
The lady was rushed to the hospital by onlookers and she is today leading a normal life.
Both of these women have narrated the entire tale only for the sake of justice to the 20 young women who lost their lives because of Mohan Kumar.
Two other interesting witnesses were a chemical trader Mohommad from Puttur, whom Mohan Kumar had approached demanding for cyanide. Another witness was a priest from one of the temples in Bantwal who had given his statement as to how Mohan Kumar had approached him to find if there were any rituals that could be performed to cast away the sins earned by killing women!
Accused and Advocate
Surprisingly, Mohan Kumar who is facing charges of killing 20 women is playing the role of an advocate as well. He is arguing his own case.
Fast Track Court Judge Ningana Gowda Jantli on three different instances had told Mohan Kumar that the court can manage to appoint a lawyer for him at the expense of the Court, as the argument was going off-track. Mohan Kumar had turned it down saying that he would like to argue the case himself.
PP expresses happiness
Cheyyabba Beary, the Public Prosecutor expressing his happiness over the conviction said that the case could be handled efficiently only due to the co-operation of the government officials, police and witnesses.
The conviction will help in efficiently handling the case in next stage, he said.
Comments
Add new comment