Mohan Kumar Vivekanand (born 1963), also known as Cyanide Mohan, is a
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
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* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
who preyed on women looking for marriage. A Mangalore fast track court tried and convicted him for the murder of 20 women in Karnataka from 2003 to 2009.
He was accused of luring women around the age of 22-35 who were unable to pay
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...
or were unable to find suitable husbands. Kumar would offer these women that he would marry them without asking for a dowry. He would kill them by giving them cyanide pills and rob them of their jewelry.
Apart from murder, he was also alleged to have been involved in bank loan frauds and
forgeries
Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbid ...
.
Early career
He was a primary school physical education teacher from Dakshina Kannada (1980 to 2003).
How he was caught
In 2009, the police were looking into the disappearance of Anitha (22 years old), and her phone calls revealed more than what they were looking for. Her phone records showed that Anitha was in contact with another missing girl. Consequently, the authorities were able to track down a person who was using the girl's cellphone.
The police discovered eight cyanide tablets, four four mobile phones, and jewelry belonging to Anitha with Mohan. On October 21, Mohan Kumar was apprehended. Following his arrest, the police not only charged him with Anitha's rape and murder, but also chose to reopen the cases of 17 missing girls.
Conviction and Sentencing
Upon his arrest in 2009, he was put on trial for two years before convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Anitha in 2013. However, in 2017, the Karnataka High Court commuted his execution sentence to life imprisonment.
In 2020, he was found guilty of raping and murdering a 25-year-old woman from Kasaragod, his 20th murder conviction.
Death
He was sentenced to death in December 2013.
See also
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Dahaad'', a 2023 Indian web series about him
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List of serial killers by country
This is a list of notable serial killers, by the country where most of the killings occurred.
Convicted serial killers by country Afghanistan
*Abdullah Shah: killed at least 20 travelers on the road from Kabul to Jalalabad while serving under ...
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List of serial killers by number of victims
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people, in two or more separate events over a period of time, for primarily psychological reasons.A serial killer is most commonly defined as a person who kills three or more peop ...
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The Deadly Dozen: India's Most Notorious Serial Killers by
Anirban Bhattacharyya
Anirban Bhattacharyya is an Indian television producer, author, standup comedian, and actor.
Early life
He was born on 26 October in Kolkata. He studied in a boarding school in Kalimpong called Dr. Graham's Homes. He then did his Bachelor ...
References
1963 births
2005 murders in India
2009 murders in India
21st-century criminals
Indian people convicted of murder
Indian prisoners sentenced to death
Indian serial killers
Living people
People convicted of murder by India
Poisoners
Prisoners sentenced to death by India
Indian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by India
Crime in Karnataka
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