Special Correspondent

Panaji, Nov 14: The Goa Court has acquitted alleged serial Killer Mahanand Naik in the fifth consecutive case of murder charge-sheeted against him.

Mahanand, 40, was given benefit of doubt by Principal Sessions Judge Nutan Sardesai in Panaji after hearing string of arguments by the prosecution. The dead body of Kesar Naik, 33, was found at Sanvordem town and she was found to be killed by strangulation in June, 2007.

Mahanand who was initially arrested for raping his wife’s friend last year had confessed of killing 16 women over a period of 15 years. Police, however, have failed to get a conviction for him in last five murder cases. He is convicted for seven years imprisonment for raping a 23-year-old girl, who was his wife’s friend.

Acquitting Mahanand today, the judge ruled that the prosection failed to produce sufficient evidence against him proving his involvement in killing Kesar. The case against Mahanand also got weakened with Central Forensic Laboratory at Hyderabad failing to get DNA test on the bones, which were recovered from the murder site.

Police had claimed that Mahanand had killed the girl to rob jewellary which she was wearing.