Mangalore: Serial killer Cyanide Mohan sentenced to death
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (DV)
Mangalore, Dec 21: Delivering one of the most awaited judgements in this part of the country, the fourth additional district and sessions court on Saturday December 21 sentenced Mohan Kumar (Cyanide Mohan) to death in the three cases he was convicted in.
Earlier this week, Mohan was convicted in three cases related to murders of Anitha of Barimar, Leelavathi of Vamadapadav and Sunanda of Peruvaje, Sullia. He is charged with killing another 17 women, all in the same way, by administering cyanide.
The death sentence will be carried out after confirmation from the high court.
Pronouncing the verdict, judge B K Nair said that these were the 'rarest of the rare cases' and the convict can be shown no mercy and deserves nothing less than death penalty. He further said that Mohan tried to mislead the court during the hearing of the cases and showed no repentance for his crimes.
"Being a school teacher, he showed no sense of duty to his profession or responsibility towards society. Looking into his modus operandi and manner of killing, it was planned murder, loot and rape of three innocent unmarried women. There was no enmity or sudden occasion to kill them. This is extreme culpability and shows his brutal mentality," the judge said.
He also added that Mohan's crimes had shocked both the judicial system as well as the society.
On Mohan's plea for leniency during the hearing held earlier on Thursday December 19, the judge said there were more aggravating circumstances than mitigating ones, and on his claim that he had purchased the gold and not looted them, the judge said it showed an advanced tendency to mislead the court.
Apart from the death penalty under section 302 (murder) and Rs 5000 fine, the court also sentenced him to five years in jail and Rs 5,000 fine under section 366 (kidnapping), eight years in jail and Rs 5,000 fine under section 376 (rape), three years in jail and Rs 1,000 fine under section 328 (administering poison), five years in jail and Rs 5,000 fine under section 392 (robbery), 10 years in jail and Rs 10,000 in fine under section 394 (internally causing harm in committing robbery), one year in jail under section 465 (forgery), three years in jail and Rs 2,000 fine under section 468 (forgery for cheating), three years in jail and Rs 2,000 fine under section 473 (possessing or making counterfeit seal), three years in jail and Rs 3,000 fine under section 201 (destruction of evidence) and six months in jail under section 417 (cheating).
Among these, the maximum punishment, that of death penalty under section 302 will be considered.
Speaking to reporters, special public prosecutor Cheyabba Beary hailed the court's decision and said that it was the first time in history that a person has been given death sentence in all the three cases he has been convicted in. He too termed the case as 'rarest of the rare'.
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