special correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network -Panaji
Panaji, May 3: The mystery behind yet another disappearance of young girl from Goa is likely to be solved with Police linking the incident to the serial killer who was nabbed in Ponda town recently.
Mahanand Naik (40) was arrested by police in connection with raping and blackmailing his wife’s friend. Subsequent investigations had revealed that the accused had killed two young women in last 14 years.
One more instance of alleged killing surfaced on Saturday when a family of Vanita Gaude, who has been missing since 1995, claimed involvement of Mahanand in her disappearance.
Ramnath Gaude, Vanita’s cousin, who saw the missing girl last time with the accused has lodged a complaint with Ponda police.
Gaude stated that Ramnath had lured his cousin with a promise to get married in 1995, when she was 19 years old and had accosted her from Ponda bus stand. Thereafter, the girl went on missing.
Mahanand has confessed of two killings of such nature wherein the girls were lured to various places and killed to rob the gold.
“The accused used to tell the victims to wear gold and later kill them. In Vanita’s case too, he had told her that he is introducing her to his father and had asked to wear gold ornaments,” police stated.
The Gaude family had then complained to the police against Mahanand but had to give up after police investigations ruled out his involvement in the offence.
Police inspector C L Patil stated that the accused appears to be a serial killer and few such cases are likely to come forward during the interrogation.
Mahanand has confessed of killing two young girls – Darshan Naik (1994) and Yogita Naik (2009).
The young unsuspecting girls used to fall for Mahanand. “His modus operandi was to take them to isolated spot.. Make them get naked under guise of having sex and later kill them and rob away the golden ornaments,” police stated.
The decomposed bodies of these young girls were found at different spots forcing police to believe it as an instance of suicide.
Mahanand’s family had to face ire at their native town of Shiroda when irate mob on Friday night set their house on fire.