Woman Serial killer arrested in B'lore

Bangalore, Dec 31: Police have arrested a 45-year old woman on the charges of cold blooded murder of six women during last eight years.

City Police Commissioner N Achutrao told reporters here today that the modus operandi of Mallika being approaching women devotees and assuring them with remedies for their desparate situation by conducting rituals and mandal poojas in the temple premises before forcibly administering them cyanide and killing. He said that Mallika, who had husband, two daughters and a son, had burnt her hand by running chit business and over family dispute was living separately from her family. She first killed Mamatha by administering cyanide at a temple in Hoskote on the pretext of conducting rituals for gainful purpose in 1999.

She was arrested a few days ago while trying to sell the stolen jewelry at Kalasipalya area in the city, he added.

Mallika had developed friendship and won the confidence of Mamatha during the visit to the temple and managed to kill her by forcibly administering cyanide during the ritual when there were no male members at the residence of the victim, he said.

Mr Achutrao said that she single handedly killed all her women victims, who were above the age of 50 years and three of them widows by administering poison and throttling.

He said that the five of the killings, with the latest being a 30-year-old Ms Nagaveni on December 18, 2007 at Doddaballapur, were reported in the temples situated mostly on the outskirts the city.

The crime was committed in a quick succession from October to December for gainful purpose of taking away cash, gold from the bodies of the victims this year, he said.

The other places of the crimes committed are Sathnur, Koratagere and Maddur, he said.

He said that police interrogation had revealed that she was living separately from her husband and two daughters following a family dispute since 1998. UNI