Agony Aunt of Death

 Welcome back to another blog post for curiously morbid minds! Today we look at another Indian serial killer and her weapon of choice, as statistics state, was poison.

Agony Aunt of Death, also known as Cyanide Mallika, or KD Kempamma according to official documents, is the first Indian convicted female serial killer. She commenced her first murder in 1999, then proceed with killing six women over the next eight years and then allegedly five more between October and December of 2007.






MO (Modus Operandi)

Kempamma was alleged to have frequented temples near Bangalore and to have preyed on women who appeared to be in distress. After spotting a woman, she would try to get them to trust her by listening to their problems and advising them to perform mandal pooja, which she told them would help them overcome their problems. She pretended to be a religious woman that was well-versed in rituals. She would then offer to arrange for the pooja at a temple on city outskirts. She would invite them to come to the ritual wearing finery. Once the victim would arrive, Kempamma would start the ritual, tell the victim to close their eyes, and force them to drink cyanide-laced water or eat cyanide-laced food/prasad.


Personal Life

Kempamma hails from Kaggalipura, located in Karnataka. Kempamma married a tailor but was abandoned by her husband in 1998. She has three children. Post abandonment, she worked odd jobs, including becoming a domestic worker and a goldsmith's assistant. She often stole from houses she worked in as a domestic worker.








Arrests and Convictions

The first time Kempamma was arrested was in 2001. She was arrested by Bidadi police while trying to rob jewels from a house where she was to perform a ritual. She was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, and she was released after completing her time.

Kempamma was arrested on 31 December 2008, after trying to sell the jewelry of victims. Kempamma was using the name 'Jayamma' and was flagged by police after a tip was given to them about her. On her person, she had money and valuables from some of her victims. When her plea was taken by the police, she admitted her guilt. The police alleged she committed the motives solely for robbery.

Kempamma was convicted of multiple murders in separate trials. In 2010, she was given a death sentence for the murder of Muniyamma. In 2012, she was given another death sentence for the murder of Nagaveni. She was given the death penalty. Kempamma was the first woman to be given the death penalty in Karnataka. Her sentence for Nagaveni's murder was commuted into life in prison. The sentence was converted because the court found that there was only circumstantial evidence against Kempamma.


What do you think was her trigger and stressor for committing these crimes?

Comments

  1. RajiMay 9, 2023 at 1:18 AM

    Not excusing her behaviour but I guess just life. Lack of love, basic needs pushes people to their worst behaviour. It doesn't always happen but not everyone is built in the same way, right?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vish KolayadathMay 9, 2023 at 1:32 AM

    Very true, Raji. Her lack of opportunities, dire circumstances and being abandoned by people could have her to act out. But at what point do you think it shifts from acting out to actually enjoying such actions?

    ReplyDelete

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