BENGALURU: Calling it a rarest of rare case, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday confirmed the death penalty imposed on ‘Cyanide’ Mohan Kumar for murdering Sunanda of Sullia taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. Rejecting the appeal filed by Mohan Kumar, a division bench of Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice John Michael Cunha upheld the death penalty imposed by the trial court on December 21, 2013.
Sunanda (28) was the secretary of a Self Help Group and used to roll beedies. According to the complaint lodged by victim’s mother in Sullia police station, Mohan befriended Sunanda at a political rally in Mangaluru on January 19, 2008 by introducing himself as Shashidhara, working as a Supervisor in a Central Government’s department. He also took her phone number. Later, he started calling her over phone and expressed his willingness to marry her. Sunanda left her home on February 11, 2008 with Mohan. She also went away with `25,000 which she had obtained as loan from a rural development bank and gold ornaments. On February 12, 2008, she was found dead at the bus stand in Mysuru. Kumar was convicted of killing her by giving pills laced with cyanide, saying that it was anti-birth pills. He also fled with her gold ornaments and cash kept in her bag in the lodge.