Thread by @Paperclip_In

If the character of ‘Anand Swarnakar’ from the hit web series 'Dahaad' gave you the chills, then wait till you enter the twisted world of a real-life serial killer who killed without remorse. A killer who came to be known as 'Cyanide Mallika.'
A 🧵. 1/20

At first glance 'Dahaad' appears to be a gripping tale about the hunt for a psychopathic serial killer on the loose. But a closer look reveals a layered narrative which shines the spotlight on social evils still plaguing our society. 2/20

Even if one misses the nuanced undertones, none can ignore the brilliant performance by Varma who essays the role of Anand Swarnakar, a cold-blooded killer who lures and murders unsuspecting women with cyanide. 3/20

Anand's character is loosely based on real-life serial-killer – Mohan Kumar Vivekanand. 4/20

Mohan and Anand’s stories are almost identical except for some conscious changes and exclusions made by Dahaad's scriptwriters. 5/20

Mohan’s killing spree lasted from 2003-2009, during which he was convicted of killing 20 women from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, he later confessed to murdering 32 women. 6/20

After finally being apprehended and produced for trial in a special court in Mangalore, Mohan argued his own case. He was initially given a death penalty which was later commuted to life imprisonment. 7/20

Once a well-respected teacher at the Shiradi Primary School in rural Mangalore, Mohan, over time, transformed into ‘Cyanide Mohan.' His life became a subject of popular discussion after Dahaad's release,but he wasn’t the first person to have used cyanide to kill his victims.8/20

His predecessor, with a nearly similar modus operandi, was KD Kempamma, a woman from Kaggalipura, a village lying on the outskirts of Bangalore. Kempamma’s crime span lasted longer than Mohan’s (from 1999 to 2007) but the number of victims were significantly lower. 9/20

In her early years, Kempamma used to run a chit fund business which at some point faced huge losses. This greatly impacted her married life as well; her husband left her and soon she had to find odd jobs in order to survive, but not for long. 10/20

Kempamma's victims, just like Mohan’s, were women in distress. She would frequent temples around Bangalore and befriend rich and vulnerable women devotees. 11/20

Many of them were childless or facing marital or other difficulties and were seeking a divine solution to their problems. 12/20

Kempamma would then seamlessly set about winning their trust by listening to their tales of woe and offering them comfort. She would subsequently advise them to organize a puja that would solve all their problems. 13/20

Her 'kindness' and exceptional grip on ritualistic practices prevented the women from doubting her true motives. 14/20

Kempamma would convince her gullible victims to come dressed in their finest clothes and jewelry for the puja and then take them to temples on the outskirts of the city. 15/20

Midway through the rituals, she would ask the devotees to close their eyes and then make them drink cyanide-laced water or eat cyanide-laced prasad that would instantly kill them. 16/20

Kempamma would then flee the scene with all their valuables, change her identity, and vanish into thin air. 17/20

When she was finally apprehended after eight long years, Kempamma was convicted of killing six women, though the unofficial number was much higher. Following her arrest, she became the first convicted woman serial killer in India. 18/20

Infamously known as ‘Cyanide Mallika,’ her story became the subject of a Kannada movie in 2021 and was also covered in ‘Khooni: The Crimes of India,' a true-crime podcast. 19/20

The common thread that connects both the stories of Mohan and Kempamma is, of course, blatant greed, but it must be said that as long as social prejudices and flaws prevail, society will continue to enable the likes of Cyanide Mohan and Cyanide Mallika to hunt without fear. 20/20

Sources:
Siddiqui, Iram. “Prof Mohan Kumar, the man who killed 20 women with 'anti-pregnancy' pills”. bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/cove…
Lulla, Anil Budur. “Lady killer with cyanide prasad Prayer bait for victims”. web.archive.org/web/2008010204…

Images:
Poster of Dahaad, From Amazon Prime Video; IndiaTimes; Telegraph India; PTI