Thaindian News

Panaji, May 2 (IANS) A mob set the house of an alleged serial killer afire in Shiroda town of Goa Friday night, police said Saturday. However, there was nobody in the house at the time.
Mahanand Naik, 40, a resident of Shiroda, had been booked by the police earlier this week for the rape and murder of two middle-aged women. He had allegedly buried their bodies in forested areas later.

During interrogation, Naik had broken down and confessed to committing the two crimes, the first in 1994 and the second in April this year. Following the publication of the disclosures in the media on Thursday, a mob descended on the accused’s house Friday night and after disconnecting the electricity connection leading to the house, set it afire. The house was extensively damaged by the time the fire was extinguished.

Speaking to reporters, police inspector in charge of the Ponda police station C.L. Patil said that a case had been booked today against unknown people.

“We do not know who was behind yesterday’s (Friday’s) attack on Naik’s house yet. Investigations are in progress. Presently it is a complaint against unknown people,” he said.

The official said that the investigations into Naik’s alleged killings were on. “He is a serial killer. Up to now he has confessed to the murder of Yogita Naik this year and the murder of Darshana in 1994. He claims to have done it for the money. We are yet to find out if there were any more murders he was involved in,” he said.

Police were also scanning records for the last 20 years for other instances of bodies of naked women being recovered, Patil said, adding this was a typical method used by Naik, who would strip his victims of clothes and other possessions, which would make them prevent their identification before burying them.