The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Probe reveals Mallika killed one more woman

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Probe reveals Mallika killed one more woman

Special Correspondent

She was murdered in a temple dormitory

BANGALORE: Investigations by the police have revealed that the alleged serial-killer Mallika, who is accused of poisoning six women with cyanide, had murdered one more woman at a pilgrim centre in Kolar district in 2006.

The police said Renuka (22), who was reported missing from MICO Layout police station limits in the city, was murdered in a dormitory of the Sri Yogi Narayana temple at Kaivara in Chintamani taluk. The murder took place on December 7, 2006.

The Chintamani police, who registered a murder case, buried the body as they could not establish the identity of the woman. After failing to trace the killer, the police had even closed the case and filed a “C” report in the jurisdictional court, stating that the killers had not been traced.

After Renuka was reported missing in the first week of December 2006, her sister Mani filed a missing complaint at the MICO Layout police station here on December 29, 2006. After Mallika was arrested by the Kalasipalya police earlier this month, Mani approached the police and expressed suspicion that Mallika could have murdered Renuka. As Renuka’s husband Shankar was working in Dubai, she was living at Mani’s house at Bilekahalli on Bannerghatta Road. Mani was working as a domestic help at a house where Mallika was a cook, the police said.

Mallika, who was frequently visiting Mani’s house, befriended Renuka. She reportedly told Renuka that she would give birth to a male baby if she conducted a special puja at a temple. Subsequently, Mallika took Renuka to Kaivara and allegedly murdered her by administering poison, the police said.

After it came to light that Mallika had allegedly murdered six women at various pilgrim centres in Bangalore Rural, Tumkur and Mandya districts, three persons from Bangalore approached the police. They claimed that women from their families, who had gone missing, were known to Mallika and she could have killed them.

Subsequently, the Kalasipalya police obtained the details of unidentified women who were murdered in places around Bangalore. They learnt about such an incident that had taken place at Kaivara. The Chintamani police had preserved Renuka’s clothes before burying her body. Renuka’s relatives had identified these clothes, the police said. On the pretext of conducting special pujas to get rid of their problems, Mallika had taken the six other women to temple towns and allegedly poisoned them with cyanide she had procured from employees of goldsmiths. She had robbed the women of their gold ornaments, the police said.

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