Sordid details emerge after arrest of serial killer

Police said the accused is an obsessive necrophiliac who has killed several women in the last few months

The Nagari police in Chittoor district arrested a man wanted in the rape and murder of a 65-year-old woman on Thursday night.

Announcing the arrest at a press conference on Saturday, police officials revealed some chilling details — the accused is said to be a serial killer who has murdered several persons, including a child, in the last few years. Equally disturbing was the disclosure by the police that the accused was an obsessive necrophiliac.

The accused, identified as R. Anand (35), hails from Arakkonam town in Tamil Nadu and hunts wild boars on farmlands for a living.

Nagari police said they stumbled upon Anand’s trail earlier this month when they were investigating the murder of the 65-year-old woman at M.N. Kandriga village in Nagari circle. The woman was found to have been raped and bludgeoned to death inside her hut located on farmlands on the night of June 24.

Police interrogated the woman’s estranged husband Gopal Reddy (75), who was living in another hut in the same area. Gopal Reddy, who separated from his wife a decade ago after suspecting her of infidelity, reportedly confessed to the police that he had arranged to get his wife killed by contacting Anand and promising to pay him ₹30,000 for the murder.

When asked how he knew Anand, Gopal Reddy told police that he had employed him to hunt wild boars on his farm. Gopal Reddy said he initially paid an advance of ₹5,000 to Anand. On the night of June 24, Anand reportedly killed the elderly woman and later proceeded to have intercourse with the corpse, police said.

Police then laid a trap for Anand on the night of August 22, and arrested him when he came to Nagari to collect his payment from Gopal Reddy.

Grisly crimes

Police officials said they have found Anand to be responsible for a string of grisly crimes — all committed in A.P. and Tamil Nadu over the last two months.

On July 9, Anand reportedly killed a woman tailor at Arakkonam town and resorted to necrophilia with her corpse. He reportedly told police that he killed the woman at the behest of his lover. While committing the murder, Anand reportedly injured the victim’s mother, an elderly woman who later went into a coma due to her injuries.

On June 10, Anand reportedly attacked a lone woman in Arakkonam town. The woman narrowly escaped after bystanders came rushing after hearing her shrieks for help. A week later, Anand’s lover Nayudamma ended her life, reportedly afraid that her role in Anand’s crimes would be exposed.

Nagari Circle Inspector Sainath told The Hindu that in cooperation with the Tamil Nadu police, the investigation was further intensified. An eight-year-old boy from Arakkonam went missing in 2014 and his skeletal remains were found a month later. DNA tests helped identify the victim. “Anand is A1 in this case. He worked for the boy’s parents 12 years ago. The boy was killed at the behest of the boy’s uncles, who reportedly offered Anand ₹50,000 to kill the boy over a property dispute,” Mr. Sainath said.

On July 29, Anand reportedly attacked another elderly woman at an isolated location under Pitchatur police station limits in Chittoor district. The injured woman who was rushed to the hospital is still undergoing treatment.

‘Inspired’ by Tamil film

Anand has reportedly told police officials that he embarked on his crime spree after being heavily influenced by the Tamil flick ‘Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru’, dubbed into Telugu as ‘Khakee’ which was released in November 2017.

“The accused was produced before the local court. We will seek his custody again to find out if he has committed similar attacks elsewhere,” Mr. Sainath said.

Source: Read Full Article