Mahanand Naik

Background

Mahanand Naik was a three-wheel rickshaw driver from Ponda in the Indian state of Goa. He was later described as a “dupatta killer” for strangulating women with their dupattas. He was arrested in a rape case involving his wife’s friend and, during custodial interrogation, he confessed to killings.

The offence

Mahanand Naik killed women after befriending them under the pretext of marrying them. He took victims to isolated places and strangulated them with their dupattas. After killing them, he robbed their gold ornaments and sold the ornaments to a goldsmith. In some cases he abandoned bodies without clothes, and in other cases he threw bodies in water.

Victims and ages named in the case material included:

• Darshan Naik, 22
• Yogita alias Balika Khushali Naik, 30, resident of Nagzar Curti, Ponda
• Vasanti Gawde, 19
• Sunita Gaonkar, 31
• Darshana Naik, 21
• Nirmala Rama Amonkar, 32
• Bhagu Upaskar, age not confirmed
• Nirmala Kanta Ghadi, 28
• Surat Harischandra Gaonkar, 30
• Bhagi Satarkar, 30
• Anjani Gaonkar, 28
• Surat Gaonkar, 30
• Deepali Jotkar, 22
• Nirmala Ghadi, 28
• Kesar Naik, 33
• Sushila alias Shashi Fatarpekar, 30
• Nayana Gaonkar, 30

The killings were described as occurring across the period from 1995 to 2009.

Investigation

Police said Mahanand Naik had befriended Yogita under the pretext of marrying her. They said he had then taken Yogita to a cashew plantation in Morlem, Sattari, and strangulated her with her dupatta. Police also said that he stole Yogita’s gold ornaments valued at Rs 80,000 and later sold the ornaments to a goldsmith in Bicholim.

In the Yogita case, police recovered a decomposed body hanging from a cashew tree on January 20, 2009. During the autopsy, police preserved vital organs and sent them to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad, for DNA profiling in May 2009. The CFSL concluded that the body recovered was that of Yogita. A senior scientific officer’s statement to the court in June 2011 said that the tissue sent by police for the DNA test belonged to “biological female offspring of Yogita’s parents”.

Investigators also described police fear that the list of killings could stretch further after confessions made by Mahanand.

Arrest

Mahanand Naik was arrested in connection with raping and blackmailing his wife’s friend. Police said he made a statement on April 25, 2009, that he killed Yogita at Morlem, Sattari in January 2009, and police said it was believed he revealed that during custodial interrogation in connection with the rape case.

In other material, police were also said to have arrested him on April 20 after he confessed of killing three girls following mob activity. Another account described that police had to release him in 1995 after benefit of doubt and support from rickshaw operators.

Trial

Yogita alias Balika Khushali Naik murder case

The district and sessions court, Panaji, held Mahanand Naik guilty of killing Yogita alias Balika Khushali Naik, 30, in January 2009. This was described as Mahanand’s third conviction for murder. Principal district and sessions judge Nutan Sardesai held him guilty under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping for killing), 392 (robbery), and 201 (disappearance of evidence). The court adjourned the case to March 1 for hearing both parties before deciding on imposition of sentence.

Vasanti Gawde murder case

A local court sentenced Mahanand Naik to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of Vasanti Gawde, who was believed to be his first victim. The additional district and sessions court convicted him for life and also imposed a fine of Rs 1.3 lakh, to be given to the family of the victim. The court convicted him for abduction, robbery, murder and destroying evidence. This was described as his second conviction because he was already undergoing life imprisonment in a similar murder case.

Other murder cases and acquittals

Mahanand Naik was acquitted in the Anjani Gaonkar murder case by the North Goa district and sessions court at Panaji on Tuesday. The crime had occurred near the Opa water treatment plant in Ponda in August 2005. Police said the chargesheet alleged he took the victim near the plant, strangulated her to death before robbing her of her jewellery, and that he later sold the jewellery to a goldsmith. Police said that on May 8, 2009, he confessed to killing the 28-year-old Gaonkar in August 2005 and that he was then chargesheeted under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping), 392 (robbery) and 201 (destroying evidence). With this judgment, he was described as having been acquitted in eight murder cases, while being sentenced to life imprisonment in two murder cases and having a seven-year jail term for a rape case.

Mahanand Naik was also acquitted in two other murder cases by a local court on Wednesday: Darshana Naik (21) and Sunita Gaonkar (31), giving him benefit of doubt. Darshana was killed in 1994, and Sunita in 2003. Police said Mahanand had killed Darshana at Bambolim in September 1994; her body was found abandoned near Goa Medical College and Hospital. In Sunita’s case, police said her body was yet to be traced, and police claimed he killed her with an intention to rob gold ornaments by taking them on a date at an isolated place.

Confessions and admitted killings

Police stated that after he was arrested in the rape case, he confessed to a series of murders. One account said that he confessed to having killed Darshan Naik in 1994, Vasanti Gawade in 1995, Sunita Gaonkar in 2003, Anjani Gaonkar in 2005, Surat Gaonkar in 2006, Nirmala Ghadi in 2007, Kesar Naik in 2007, Nayana Gaonkar in 2008, and Yogita Naik in 2009.

Another account described that he confessed to two more killings, taking the number of murders he admitted to have committed to nine. The two women were Nirmala Kanta Ghadi, 28, from Betki Khandola, missing from May 11, 2007, and Surat Harischandra Gaonkar, 30, from Panchwadi missing from March 16, 2006. Police stated Nirmala was killed below the Borim bridge and Surat was killed at Sanvordem, Ponda police said. The account said Nirmala’s mother, Kanta Ghadi, identified the accused on May 8 and a missing complaint was registered, and that both women were wearing jewellery when they went missing. Police stated that Mahanand used a similar modus operandi, took the women to a remote area, strangulated them with their own dupattas, removed jewellery, and sold it, while not disclosing how he disposed of the bodies of Nirmala and Surat.

Another account said he confessed on Thursday to having killed two more women, raising the number of murders he admitted to have committed to 14. It identified the latest victims as Nirmala Rama Amonkar, 32, from Rivona, and Bhagu Upaskar from Tambdi Surla. Police stated that Mahanand took Nirmala from Rivona to Verna plateau and killed her there in February 2008; Verna police had recovered the body in February 2008 and registered a case of unnatural death. Police stated that Bhagu Upaskar was taken from Tambdi Surla to Quepem and killed in 2007; Quepem police recovered the body and an unnatural death was registered. Police said Mahanand strangulated both women and that Nirmala’s head was bruised to conceal her identity. The DySP said he abandoned bodies without clothes to hinder identification and that Mahanand called victims with the promise of marriage and took them to remote places and strangulated them with their own dupattas. Police also said he removed jewellery after killing and sold it.

Sentencing

Mahanand Naik received life imprisonment in the Yogita murder case, described as his third life sentence. The North Goa sessions court sentenced him to life imprisonment for killing Yogita Naik in 2009.

The material also stated that he received life sentences in the murders of Vasanti Gaude in 1995 and another woman from Curca in 2007.

In addition to murder sentences, he was described as having been sentenced to seven years imprisonment in a rape case.

The Yogita case material described Mahanand Naik as having been sentenced to undergo life imprisonment in two separate murder cases, while being acquitted in eight cases. It also stated he was acquitted in eight murder cases in total.

Appeals

No appeal proceedings were stated in the provided material.

Outcome

Mahanand Naik was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder of Yogita alias Balika Khushali Naik, and he was also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder of Vasanti Gawde. He was acquitted in the Anjani Gaonkar murder case. He was also acquitted in two other murder cases involving Darshana Naik and Sunita Gaonkar.

Aftermath

A mob burnt Mahanand’s house into ashes after he confessed of killing three girls. It was reported that he had been arrested in connection with raping his wife’s friend and that subsequent police investigations continued linking him to additional cases.

Mahanand’s wife was described as working with ICAR, and police were said to have revealed that Mahanand had been staying back home to look after his ailing four-year-old daughter while his wife worked. Another account said he was unemployed after he gave up operating his auto-rickshaw. A local political figure said the village was ashamed of his activity and had brought bad name for the village, and that the issue was not sensationalising the house burning but the cold-blooded murders.

Other details

Mahanand Naik was referred to as “dupatta killer” and was said to have studied victims’ family background and age-group. Police said he stripped dead bodies of victims’ clothes to make identification difficult, and left bodies to rot in water or pushed them in bushes. Almost all cases with highly decomposed bodies of murdered girls were closed as “unnatural death”.

Police described that some missing girls’ parents did not lodge police complaints because they believed lodging a report would stigmatize their family. Another account described that parents sometimes believed their daughter had eloped, which was seen as a degradable act in Indian society.

The material described police suspecting involvement in additional killings beyond those already confessed to.

People named in the case material

• Yogita alias Balika Khushali Naik, 30 (murder victim)
• Darshana Naik, 21 (murder victim)
• Vasanti Gawde (murder victim)
• Sunita Gaonkar, 31 (murder victim)
• Anjani Gaonkar, 28 (murder victim)
• Darshan Naik, 22 (murder victim)
• Nirmala Rama Amonkar, 32 (murder victim)
• Bhagu Upaskar (murder victim)
• Nirmala Kanta Ghadi, 28 (murder victim)
• Surat Harischandra Gaonkar, 30 (murder victim)
• Bhagi Satarkar, 30 (murder victim)
• Surat Gaonkar, 30 (murder victim)
• Deepali Jotkar, 22 (murder victim)
• Nirmala Ghadi, 28 (murder victim)
• Kesar Naik, 33 (murder victim)
• Sushila alias Shashi Fatarpekar, 30 (murder victim)
• Nayana Gaonkar, 30 (murder victim)
• Kanta Ghadi (mother of Nirmala Kanta Ghadi)
• Raghunath (Vasanti Gawade’s cousin)
• Ramnath Gaude (Vanita Gaude’s cousin)
• Vanita Gaude (missing girl claimed linked to Mahanand)
• Principal district and sessions judge Nutan Sardesai (judge)
• Deputy superintendent of police Serafin Dias (police officer)
• DySP Serafin Dias (police officer)
• Police inspector C L Patil (police officer)
• Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad (laboratory)
• Senior scientific officer (witness in June 2011 statement to court)
• PTI (press)
• Subash Shirodkar (former Shiroda legislator and current Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Chief)
• Armstrong Vaz (DigitalJournal.com author)
• Special Correspondent Daijiworld Media Network - Goa (journalist)
• Special correspondent Daijiworld Media Network -Panaji (journalist)
• Mahanand Naik’s wife Pooja (wife)
• Mahanand Naik’s one-and-half-year old girl child (child)
• Mahanand Naik’s ailing four-year-old daughter (daughter)
• Raghunath; and rickshaw operators from Ponda city (in 1995 account)

IPC sections cited

Police and court materials cited:

• IPC Sections 302 (murder)
• IPC Section 364 (kidnapping for killing; also cited as kidnapping)
• IPC Section 392 (robbery)
• IPC Section 201 (disappearance of evidence; also cited as destroying evidence)