imported>TaylaGnn3143080 at 08:23, 26 March 2026

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{{Short description|Indian serial killer (born c. 1969)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox serial killer
| name = Mahanand Naik
| image =
| caption =
| alias = Dupatta Killer<ref name="TOI-Web">{{Cite web |title=Dupatta Killer to explore the gripping tale of Goa's most notorious serial killer |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/hindi/dupatta-killer-to-explore-the-gripping-tale-of-goas-most-notorious-serial-killer/articleshow/118935363.cms |website=The Times of India |date=15 April 2024}}</ref>
| victims = 16–18 (disputed)<ref name="TOI-16brides">{{Cite web |title=The groom who strangled 16 brides |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/the-groom-who-strangled-16-brides/articleshow/102688522.cms |website=The Times of India |date=13 August 2023}}</ref><ref name="Federal-18">{{Cite web |title=Tracing the lives, hopes and end of the victims of the 'Dupatta Killer' |url=https://thefederal.com/category/features/tracing-the-lives-hopes-and-end-of-the-victims-of-the-dupatta-killer-178910 |website=The Federal |date=18 June 2023}}</ref><ref name="NDTV-12">{{Cite web |title=Serial killer arrested after 15 years in Goa |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/serial-killer-arrested-after-15-years-in-goa-394102 |website=NDTV |date=24 April 2009}}</ref>
| beginyear = 1994
| endyear = 2009
| country = [[India]]
| states = [[Goa]]
| motive = [[Robbery]]
| apprehended = 21 April 2009
| penalty = [[Life imprisonment]]
}}

'''Mahanand Naik''' (born c. 1969) is an Indian [[serial killer]] convicted of murdering multiple women in the state of [[Goa]].<ref name="TOI-16brides" /> He became known by the [[nickname]] "Dupatta Killer" for his [[modus operandi]] of strangling his victims with their own ''[[dupatta]]'' (scarf).<ref name="Federal-18" />

Operating for approximately 15 years between 1994 and 2009, Naik targeted young, unmarried women from poor backgrounds.<ref name="TOI-16brides" /><ref name="Federal-18" /> He would promise to marry them, lure them to isolated locations, murder them, and rob them of their gold and money.<ref name="TOI-16brides" /> Sources conflict on the total number of victims, with figures cited between 16 and 18 women.<ref name="TOI-16brides" /><ref name="Federal-18" /><ref name="IndiaTV-18">{{Cite web |title=Life term to Goa serial killer who murdered 18 women |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/life-term-to-goa-serial-killer-who-murdered-18-women-8418.html |website=India TV News |date=5 January 2011}}</ref>

Naik, who was married with a child and worked as an auto-rickshaw driver, was arrested in 2009.<ref name="Federal-18" /><ref name="TOI-Video">{{Cite web |title=Who is Mahanand Naik, Goa's 'dupatta killer': The groom who strangled 16 brides |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/toi-original/who-is-mahanand-naik-goas-dupatta-killer-the-groom-who-strangled-16-brides/videoshow/102701525.cms |website=The Times of India |date=14 August 2023}}</ref> He was convicted and sentenced to [[life imprisonment]].<ref name="IndiaTV-18" />

==Crimes and modus operandi==
Naik's criminal activities spanned 15 years, beginning around 1994.<ref name="TOI-16brides" /> His public persona was that of an auto-rickshaw driver from [[Shiroda, Goa|Shiroda]], who was married and had a child.<ref name="Federal-18" /><ref name="GoaNewsHub-Furlough">{{Cite web |title=Mahanand Naik appears before Old Goa police |url=https://goanewshub.com/mahanand-naik-appears-before-old-goa-police/ |website=Goa News Hub |date=13 June 2023}}</ref> He sometimes adopted aliases or posed as a businessman to gain his victims' trust.<ref name="TimesNow24">{{Cite web |title=The Infamously Famous: Who Was The Real-Life 'Dupatta Killer'? |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/lifestyle/people/the-infamously-famous-who-was-the-real-life-dupatta-killer-article-118929378 |website=Times Now |date=14 April 2024 |access-date=30 October 2025}}</ref>

His targets were consistently young women, often in their 30s, who came from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, such as housemaids or tailors, and were seeking marriage.<ref name="TOI-16brides" /><ref name="Federal-18" /><ref name="TimesNow24" /> He would frequent bus stands in Goan cities like [[Ponda, Goa|Ponda]], [[Panaji]], [[Margao]], and [[Mapusa]] to identify and befriend potential victims.<ref name="Federal-18" />

Naik's method involved gaining the woman's trust by promising to marry her, sometimes convincing them to elope in secret. He would persuade his victims to wear their "finest jewelry" for the supposed wedding.<ref name="TimesNow24" /> He would then lead them to an isolated, desolate location, where he would sometimes offer them ice cream or make small talk to lower their guard before strangling them, most often using the victim's own ''dupatta''.<ref name="Federal-18" /><ref name="TOI-16brides" /><ref name="TimesNow24" /> The primary motive was financial; after the murder, he would steal the victim's gold and any cash she was carrying.<ref name="TOI-16brides" /> Some victims were also sexually assaulted. He would later sell the stolen jewelry at local shops, often fabricating stories about needing funds for a sick family member.<ref name="TimesNow24" />

His first known victim was a 30-year-old woman in [[Khandepar]] in 1994. After this, he reportedly maintained a low profile for several years before resuming his killings with increased frequency between 2004 and 2009, killing 13 more women in that period.<ref name="TimesNow24" /> The number of women he murdered is disputed, with reports citing at least 12,<ref name="NDTV-12" /> 16,<ref name="TOI-16brides" /> or 18 victims.<ref name="Federal-18" /><ref name="IndiaTV-18" /> His ability to evade detection for 15 years has been attributed to his choice of victims, who were from poor communities and whose disappearances often received little media or legal attention.<ref name="TimesNow24" />

==Investigation and arrest==
Naik was arrested by [[Goa Police]] on 21 April 2009.<ref name="TimesNow24" /> His capture was not the direct result of the murder investigations, but stemmed from a separate complaint of [[rape]] and blackmail filed by a young woman.<ref name="NDTV-12" /><ref name="IE-Arrest">{{Cite web |title=Goa 'serial killer's' furlough upends life of the woman who helped catch him |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/goa-serial-killers-furlough-upends-life-of-the-woman-who-helped-catch-him-8669863/ |website=The Indian Express |date=19 June 2023}}</ref><ref name="TimesNow24" />

The investigation that led to his arrest began after the disappearance of a 30-year-old woman in January 2009. Unlike in previous cases, her family actively persuaded the police for answers. Inspector Chetan Patil, tracing her call records, discovered a call made from her phone using a stolen [[SIM card]]. This SIM card's number was traced to the woman who subsequently filed the rape and blackmail complaint against Naik, revealing she had been his victim for four years.<ref name="TimesNow24" />

A police constable, who was a relative of another woman Naik was actively targeting, recognized Naik's photo in connection with the rape complaint. The constable had seen Naik with his relative. This connection allowed the police to apprehend Naik, which subsequently led to him being linked to the series of murders. The woman who was his target at the time of his arrest, and who consequently assisted the police, later faced social stigma for her association with the case.<ref name="IE-Arrest" />

Once in custody for rape, Naik confessed to the series of murders and led officers to the burial sites of his victims.<ref name="TimesNow24" /> It was later reported that Naik had been briefly detained in 1994 following his first murder, after a witness reported seeing the victim with a "bearded man." However, he was released due to a lack of evidence and supporting testimony from his fellow rickshaw drivers.<ref name="TimesNow24" />

==Legal proceedings and imprisonment==
Following his arrest, Mahanand Naik was tried, convicted of murder, and sentenced to [[life imprisonment]] by a Goa court.<ref name="IndiaTV-18" /><ref name="Federal-18" /> Notably, he was acquitted in 9 of these murders.<ref>{{Cite web |title=16 murder cases: Acquittal No 9 for Mahanand |url=https://www.thegoan.net/goa-news/16-murder-cases-acquittal-no-9-for-mahanand/32614.html |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=The Goan EveryDay |language=en}}</ref>

He is incarcerated at the Central Jail in [[Colvale]], Goa.<ref name="Herald-Furlough">{{Cite web |title=Mahanand Naik, who has been shockingly freed for 21 days, wrote one of the bloodiest chapters of serial killings in India |url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/goa/mahanand-naik-who-has-been-shockingly-freed-for-21-days-wrote-one-of-the-bloodiest-chapters-of-serial-killings-in-india/375159/ |website=O Heraldo |date=12 June 2023}}</ref>

In June 2023, Naik was granted a 21-day furlough by prison authorities.<ref name="Herald-Furlough" /> The decision to grant him temporary release caused public shock and raised fears, particularly for the woman who had been instrumental in his 2009 arrest.<ref name="IE-Arrest" /><ref name="Herald-Furlough" /> As part of his furlough conditions, he was required to report to the Old Goa Police station.<ref name="GoaNewsHub-Furlough" />

==In popular culture==
Naik's crimes have been the subject of media adaptations.
* A 2010 ''[[tiatr]]'', ''Mahanand: Monis vo Soitan?'' ({{Translation|''Mahanand: Man or Satan?''}}) was based on Naik's case by Tony Dias. Franky Gonsalves released a sequel to the same ''tiatr'' in 2023 titled, ''Mahanand Devmonis?'' ({{Translation|''Mahanand Man of God?''}}).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pires |first=Mario |date=2023-10-22 |title=Goa tiatr review: Tiatr 'Mahanand Devmonis?' |url=https://www.gomantaktimes.com/my-goa/art-culture/goa-tiatr-review-tiatr-mahanand-devmonis |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=Goa Travel News on Gomantak Times |language=en}}</ref>
* In October 2025, a book titled ''Goa ka Dupatta Killer'' was authored by Mukesh Kumar, Senior Reporter of Prudent Media, detailing the case.<ref name="Goan-Book">{{Cite web |title='Goa ka Dupatta Killer' book by Prudent Media's Kumar released |url=https://www.thegoan.net/goa-news/%EF%BB%BFgoa-ka-dupatta-killer-book-by-prudent-medias-kumar-released/137022.html |website=The Goan |date=25 June 2024}}</ref>
* A 2025 book by Auda Viegas titled ''A Silent Inveterate Serial Killer: A Product of “Chalta Hai” Society''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-27 |title=Book Review: A Silent Inveterate Serial Killer: A Product of "Chalta Hai" Society by Auda Viegas |url=https://goanewshub.com/book-review-a-silent-inveterate-serial-killer-a-product-of-chalta-hai-society-by-auda-viegas/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Goa News Hub |language=en-US}}</ref>
* A documentary based on his life and crimes titled ''[https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/-the-dupatta-killer-review/20250321.htm The Dupatta Killer], directed by Patrick Graham and Researched by Mukesh Kumar'' was released in March 2025 on DocuBay OTT.<ref name="TOI-Web" />

==See also==
* [[List of serial killers by country]]
* [[Crime in India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web |title=Mahanand Naik Vs State of Goa - Court Judgment |url=https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/779791/mahanand-naik-vs-state-of-goa/ |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=CourtKutchehry |language=en}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naik, Mahanand}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian murderers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian murderers]]
[[Category:Indian serial killers]]
[[Category:Violence against women in India]]
[[Category:Crime in Goa]]

Mahanand Naik - Revision history

imported>TaylaGnn3143080 at 08:23, 26 March 2026