A recent documentary throws light on notorious serial killer Mahanand Naik. NT BUZZ chats with
the creative consultant and researcher, Mukesh Kumar
KALYANI JHA | NT BUZZ
The name Mahanand Naik still causes shivers to run down the spine of many a Goan. Naik who was accused of strangling 16 women to death with their own dupattas, is alleged to have begun his killing spree in 1994. He was finally caught in 2009. Since then, he has faced 16 trials and been convicted in only in two.
In 2018, when Naik was supposed to get parole, there was a heated debate in public which aroused the curiosity of Mukesh Kumar, a crime and legal reporter with the
local media.
In 2023, he finally got a chance to interview Naik in the Colvale jail. “Since that interview, I wanted to make a web series or documentary on it,” says Kumar, who was previously based in Delhi and covered many crime stories like the Nithari case.
“If anybody committed such a crime in Delhi I would not have been surprised because the social dynamic there is different. But when it comes to Goa, everybody sees it as a beautiful, peaceful, and fun-loving society. For me, such a crime in Goa was unexpected and I was even more curious about this case as it was a local Goan committing it,” shares Kumar, adding that this was one reason he felt this story needed to be told to the world. “This was an eye opener that no matter how peaceful the society is, anyone can turn into a monster for any reason. This was the basic idea I wanted to tell in my story,” he says.
While Kumar continued to research the case further, he also began approaching production houses to develop the story for film.
In 2024, he got an offer from IN10 media for a documentary and Kumar decided to collaborate with them. The documentary titled ‘The Dupatta Killer’ was made by Graham Patrick with Kumar contributing as researcher and creative consultant.
“I am happy that it was directed by Graham, an experienced director, and that they accomodated all the suggestions I gave and worked with the vision I had” says Kumar.
Giving an insight into his research work, Kumar reveals that he interviewed around 29 people. Naik, he states, had faced 16 trials, but on online court websites, hardly one or two judgments could be found. Procuring these took time and effort from Kumar along with his advocate and police friends.
The lack of electronic records, further delayed this process. “At that time, everything was done manually. And these cases are spread over five police stations – Ponda, Agassaim, Maina, Curtim, and Quepem. I visited all of them. Thus, it took more than two years to complete the research,” says Kumar, who also interviewed investigation officers, advocates who fought for and against Naik, forensic experts, and social activists who were vocal about the case. He also tried to get in touch with the victims’ families but they were not ready to talk.
The documentary was recently screened in Panaji and had in attendance IPS officers and some investigation officers who knew about this case.
“After watching the documentary, everybody told me it was a learning experience. They understood the lapses and how not to repeat such mistakes in the justice system,” says Kumar. The crime reporter however points out that apart from the failure in the system, society was also to blame.
“When this matter was exposed, I know of instances when the police approached a couple of families to lodge a complaint, but they refused to say anything as they feared it would bring them a bad name,” says Kumar. He adds that not coming out and complaining gives the criminal an advantage. “It is not just the responsibility of the police and prosecution but society also to fight against such crimes by coming out and reporting the cases,” he says.
