A city sessions court on Wednesday convicted K. Mohan Kumar, who has been accused of murdering as many as 20 women by alleged administration of cyanide, for the murder of a 30-year-old woman for Perwaje in Sullia. The court on Tuesday convicted him for the murder of two other women.
The 4th Additional District and Sessions Judge B.K. Naik found Mohan Kumar guilty of murdering Sunanda by inciting her to consume cyanide. Sunanda was found dead in a toilet in Mysore Bus Stand on February 11, 2008.
According to Special Public Prosecutor Cheyabba Beary, Sunanda, a member of a Durga self-help Group, befriended Mohan Kumar.
On the pretext of taking her to a temple in Kasaragod, Mohan Kumar took Sunanda to a lodge in Mysore on February 11. In the lodge he registered his name as Sudhakar.
After spending time with her in the room, Mohan Kumar went out with Sundanda on the same day in the evening to visit a temple.
At Mysore Bus Stand, he gave her cyanide by convincing that it was a pill that would prevent pregnancy.
She consumed the pill and then died in the toilet. Mohan Kumar returned to the lodge and vacated it after taking away her ornaments and Rs. 25,000. Mysore police informed Sunanda’s mother Ratnamma and cousin Harini about Sunanda’s death on the same day.
In his 70-page judgement, the Judge relied on evidence of Sunanda’s mother Ratnamma who said her daughter had known a person by the name Sudhakar.
He also considered evidence of Sunanda’s cousin Harini and Sunanda’s friend who have seen Sunanda and Mohan Kumar talking to each other at a public meeting held in Mangalore a few days before the incident.
The judge also relied on evidence of Lodge manager M.S. Nagesh and room boy Basanna about the couple occupying the room and about Mohan Kumar returning to the room alone the same day around 8 p.m. The Judge said the evidence clearly established the deceitful act of Mohan Kumar in murdering Sunanda by giving her poison and stealing ornaments and cash she possessed.
He has been convicted for offences under Section 302 (murder), 366 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), 328 (administering a stupefying drug), 392 (robbery), 394 (causing hurt to commit robbery), 417 (cheating) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.
The hearing on the quantum of punishment in the murders of Sunanda and two other women will be held on Thursday.
