MANGALORE: The arrest of serial killer Mohan Kumar for whom sex and money was above all, has reopened many cases of missing of young women in the district. That this serial killer had executed more than 18 murders by following a similar modus operandi and that he had targeted many more young women, has virtually shaken the civil society which is heaving a sigh of relief following his arrest. The Bantwal JMFC Court has remanded the serial killer to police custody upto October 27.
A glance at the police records with regard to several complaints of young women missing, makes it evident that most of the cases have been closed after labeling them as ‘suicide.’
It has been learnt that no sooner Mohan confessed that he had killed 18 young women, the cops were quick enough to spread before him the photographs of all missing women to question him about them .
While most of the cases of missing reported in DK , Kasargod and Madikeri stations were tagged as ‘suicide’ cases some others have remained missing cases itself without much probe undertaken.
It is also a fact that the cops did not go much deeper into these missing cases by pacifying the family members of the missing girls by saying “ Your girl will return in a few days. Probably she has eloped with her lover.” In fact the Love Jihad imbroglio which was making much news in the recent past, had revived these missing cases.
Most of the victim women hailed from poor families and when their bodies were found in far off places, there have been very few instances of any pressure exerted to undertake a thorough probe into the cause of the death. Following the arrest of MohanKumar,several families of women who have been missing have begun contacting the police.

The missing girls : Sunanda (28), daughter of Vittal Poojari of Sullia Peruvaje who had left home saying she was going to a temple, on February 2008, was reported missing. Her family members suspected that she might have eloped with someone as she had taken along with her some jewellery and a cash of Rs 25,000. But before the police could take up investigation her body was found in Mysore bus stand and was registered as a suicide case. But the post mortem report revealed that she had consumed cyanide.
The same was the case with Kaveri of the same village. The youngest of the five children of Manku and Chomu couple, Kaveri did not return home after she reportedly left for her sister’s place in Mulleriya of Kasargod on March 9, 2009. Police complaint did not yield any result. Her family only knows that she came to know Mohan around 2 months prior to her missing. She had taken her elder brother Madhav’s mobile while leaving home. But when a young woman from Bantwal started receiving calls from this mobile number, her family numbers on tracing the person in whose name the sim was registered, found Madhav and had even thrashed him. However, when Madhav had complained to the Sampaje police, they had asked to register the case in Bantwal where he was attacked. But Madhav did not bother to complain.
Sharada (34), daughter of Taniappa Gowda of Kedila in Bantwal, was missing since January 23, 2009 after she left home to visit a relative in a hospital. Though a complaint was lodged, her body was found in the Madikeri bus stand within a few days. The case was registered as a suicide and closed.
If this is the story of Sharada, the same can be said of Shantha of Kankanady Kudkorigudda in Mangalore who was reported missing on November 9, 2006. The very next day she was found dead in Kollur. Similarly, the body of Baby Naik of Peraje was found in Madikeri bus stand, that of Hemavathi Gowda and Shashikala Poojari in Mysore bus stand and the body of Leelavathi said to have joined Naxals, in the Bangalore bus stand. The body of Anitha Kulal was found in Hassan. In fact it was the Anita Kulal missing case, the latest of all cases that eventually led to the trapping of Mohan.
Anita, daughter of Kantappa Moolya-Kusuma couple of Barimar Kodi was an anganvadi teacher and the youngest of the three children. She came into contact with Mohan at the BC Road bus stand when Mohan in his usual style tried to befriend her saying “ Oh. Aren’t you the Anganavadi teacher ?” Slowly he began questioning the girl one by one gathering all details and finally about her caste. He revealed he too belonged to the same caste and then got her mobile number. He began calling her frequently and one day was successful in convincing her to elope. She escaped from home saying she had to go to a dentist and landed in Hassan with him. There as usual after having sex with her he gave her the cyanide making her believe that it was a pill to prevent pregnancy. Eventually she lay dead at the Hassan bus stand.
All these had been registered as ‘suicide’ cases and have now reopened with the arrest of psychopath Mohan Kumar.

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3. 19th murder of the serial killer stands exposed
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5. Serial killer case : 4 eves killed in Madikeri alone