Mohan Kumar (serial killer)

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Mohan Kumar
Born1963 (age 61–62)
Karnataka, India
Other namesCyanide Mohan
Ananda
Bhaskara [1]
Bhaskar [2]
Criminal penalty Death penalty (commuted to life imprisonment)
Details
Victims20
Span of crimes
2005–2009
Country India
Date apprehended
21 October 2009

Mohan Kumar Vivekanand (born 1963), also known as Cyanide Mohan, is a serial killer who preyed on women looking for marriage. A Mangalore fast-track court tried and convicted him for the murder of 20 women in Karnataka from 2003 to 2009. [3]

Contents

He was accused of luring women around the age of 22-35 who were unable to pay dowry or were unable to find suitable husbands. [4] Kumar would offer these women that he would marry them without asking for a dowry. He would kill them by giving them cyanide pills and robbing them of their jewellery.

Apart from murder, he was also alleged to have been involved in bank loan frauds and forgeries. [5]

Early career

He was a primary school physical education teacher from Dakshina Kannada (1980 to 2003). [6] [7]

Capture

In 2009, the police were looking into the disappearance of Anitha (22 years old), and her phone calls revealed more than what they were looking for. Her phone records showed that Anitha was in contact with another missing girl. Consequently, the authorities were able to track down a person who was using the girl's cellphone. [3]

The police discovered eight cyanide tablets, four mobile phones, and jewellery belonging to Anitha with Mohan. On 21 October, Mohan Kumar was apprehended. Following his arrest, the police not only charged him with Anitha's rape and murder but also chose to reopen the cases of 17 missing girls. [3]

Trial

Upon his arrest in 2009, he was put on trial for two years before being convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Anitha in 2013. However, in 2017, the Karnataka High Court commuted his execution sentence to life imprisonment.

In 2020, he was found guilty of raping and murdering a 25-year-old woman from Kasaragod, his 20th murder conviction. [3]

In 2025, Indian crime thriller film Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas was released. It is inspired by the life of Mohan Kumar. [8]

In 2023, Dahaad , an Indian police procedural crime thriller television series Vijay Varma’s character is also based on Mohan Kumar. [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mangalore: Neighbours, Family, Refuse to Accept Mohan as Serial Killer". Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Gruesome Murders". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The true story of Dahaad and Cyanide Mohan, the serial killer who inspired Vijay Varma's character". www.dailyo.in. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Curious case of 'Cyanide' Mohan draws advocates". The Times of India . 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "Mangalore: Serial Killer Cyanide Mohan Also Cheated Teachers, Banks". Daijiworld.com. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  6. ↑ "Teacher turns serial killer". The Times of India . 22 October 2009. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "Mohan Kumar to Cyanide Mohan: From mild-mannered school teacher to dreaded serial killer". The Indian Express. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  8. ↑ Pande, Shreyas (16 October 2025). "Bhagwat Movie Review: Arshad Warsi and Jitendra Kumar bring quiet gravitas to a familiar crime story". Cinema Express. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "'Dahaad' Review: Vijay Varma portrays 'Cyanide Mohan' with ease". The Week. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
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