Soumya Menon/Newindpress
Bangalore, Jan 2: Mallika, is the first woman serial killer in the country, but there is a long list of killers who have created fear among public in Bangalore.
Sexual maniac Umesh Reddy, who had allegedly raped and robbed over 20 women, tops the list of most dreaded serial killers. A former police constable, Reddy became the reason for cops and women to run for their lives in the late 90s.
Reddy, who is known to have allegedly raped, murdered and robbed women across the state and other states, had sent the state police on a chase, by escaping six times, before he was arrested on May 17, 2002 by Yeshwanthpur police.
He was arrested after one Sathyavelu spotted him in a saloon.
Who is Umesh Reddy?
Umesh Reddy alias Rajulu alias Ramesh alias Venkatesh, a native of Basappa Malige in Chitradurga, completed his PUC in 1995.
He served as a constable in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Kashmir in 1996. He then joined the District Armed Reserve (DAR) at Chitradurga in November 1996.
Cases against him: He had raped the daughter of a CRPF commandant and escaped from Kashmir, attempted to rape a school girl near KEB colony in Chitradurga and allegedly raped and murdered another girl Rupa in 1996.
He was involved in two cases in Mysore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Baroda, raped three girls in Pune, Davanagere and Hubli-Dharwad. In Bangalore, Reddy has four cases registered against him in Peenya, one each in Gangammanagudi, Jalahalli and Yeshwanthpur and two in MICO layout police stations.
Modus operandi: He used to attack houses where women stayed alone. He would hold the victims at knife point, tie their hands, rape them, kill them and then rob the houses.
Umesh also collected the undergarments of women and tried them. After his arrest, police found bags containing women's garments--10 bras, 18 pairs of panties, six sarees, two nighties, eight churidars, and four blouses.
Runaway killer: In March 1997, he escaped from Bellary jail while being handed over to the jail authorities by the DAR police.
He was arrested by the police on July 7, 1997, while trying to steal some women's undergarments. But he escaped within 24 hours.
In October 1998, he was arrested by Peenya police, but he again escaped from their custody.
The Dandupalya gang: The gang consisting of both men, women and children used to break into houses when there were fewer people in the house. They would kill the people by slitting their throats and then burgle the house.
They had 75 cases of murder and dacoities against them. Six members of the gang, including Dodda Hanuma alias Hanuma, Krishna alias Dandupalya Krishna alias Hosakote Krishna, Chinnappa, Venkatram, Munikrishna and Thimma alias Kothi Thimma were convicted.
A senior police official who had played a key role in nabbing both Umesh Reddy and the members of the Dandupalya gang, said these killers look quite normal, but, it is during interrogation and while linking evidences, the actual motive and nature of their minds gets revealed.
The recently-convicted Umesh Reddy had a sort of a psychic aberration, wherein he attacked women when they were alone, wore women's clothes and masturbated and then brutally killed them.
Nobody could say that Dandupalya gang members were maniacs. But, after interrogation, the gory details of the way they derive pleasure was known. They would cruelly slit the throat of the victim, as the sound of struggle was pleasurable to them.
Also Read: