The Stoneman Killer Of Calcutta and Mumbai
A plethora of murder weapons for a psycho
If you live in a crowded city, chances are you’ve come across individuals who have found themselves at the unfortunate end of society's list.
Unemployment, poverty, mental illness, whatever may have pushed someone to have made their homes on the cold pavement of the streets, help is what they need.
Many people do just that, offering food, money, and time but others give disgust. What if the homeless population found themselves on a different list? The list of a person who not only gives disgust but hatred and abhorrence.
The list of a savage killer.
Another Murder
The year is 1985, in the densely populated city of Mumbai back then known as Bombay, the local police are investigating another dead body. They note the similarities to other recent murders in the area.
A victim in a dimly lit location, sleeping on the street, with no witnesses, and a 30-kilogram or about 65-pound stone close by. The killer had used the stone to crush the head of the sleeping victim, ending their life in one motion.
This was now number 6 and the police realize they have a serial killer on the loose.
Identifying the killer was going to be difficult. They showed no motive and left no clues. The victims all lived on the street with no means of identification. No one to identify them or even mourn their loss. All the police could do was increase their presence on the streets.
Weeks and months went on and with more deaths piling up, there was seeming to be no end in sight. All the police needed was on break in the case and they were confident they could solve it. Months later it would seem they would get just that.
A Possible Witness
A homeless waiter having survived an attack was immediately questioned by the police. He confirmed what the police knew, the killer strikes in the early hours, after midnight before sunrise, using a stone to attempt to crush the heads of his sleeping victims, but the waiter was unable to get a good look.
The police hit another wall. It seemed to them the man killing unidentifiable victims would also never be identified. By mid-1987 the death toll was now at 12 and the police were still right where they started. Then as suddenly as the attacks happened, they stopped.
There were no reports of any attacks or murders, the city seemed safe once again, and the police and those on the streets breathed a sigh of relief.
But as one city awoke from a nightmare another would begin having night terrors.
A Traveling Killer
June 4th, 1989, almost two years after the last attack in Mumbai, the city of Calcutta had its first victim. A woman known for selling moonshine on the streets was murdered, dead from the wounds given to her by a stone slab.
And yet, the streets, police, and even citizens were quiet.
Exactly one month later on July 4th, 1989 another victim was found.
Everyone was still quiet.
It was not until the 4th victim the police began suspecting the murders were being committed by one man. The streets began to stir asking the question, “Was there a serial killer among us?”
In an article from 1989 in the LA Times, Calcutta deputy commissioner Singh admits to a lack of concern when the murders first began. But then almost as if the killer was taunting the police, a 7th victim was found on September 8th only a block away from police headquarters.
In the ensuing press conference, Deputy Commissioner Singh put a name to the faceless killer stalking the streets, The Stoneman.
A Desperate Search
The city was now on high alert, citizens were looking for more information, police ramped up searches, and the homeless were banding together taking shifts to sleep in safety.
The police launched further operations in the streets to try to find the killer. Increasing street presence, with many going undercover and waiting for the killer to strike as they held their weapons at their sides under blankets.
But even while living among the homeless, the police still had an air of disgust towards them, calling them lunatics and maniacs at every chance. Many were rounded up and questioned looking for any possible sign that they were the Stoneman.
Reports of police beating defenseless and emaciated people on the street became rampant with some human-rights groups accusing the police of torture. From the outside, during the day the city seemed to be tearing itself apart from fear, and during the night, the Stoneman hunted.
And it appeared as if he was getting better at it.
Another Possible Witness
In Mumbai, the Stoneman hunted and killed 12 over the course of two and a half years but in Calcutta, he murdered 7 after only four months. And just like Mumbai, the police hoped their approach would lead to a break in the case.
And just like Mumbai, a witness finally appeared. The difference? This witness led them to what appeared to be the first real suspect either police had. A homeless man by the name of Mohammed Akram. But when police brought him in for questioning it was clear this wasn’t the Stoneman.
The Stoneman was thought to be a well-built man able to easily lift the 30-kilogram stones he used to drop onto the heads of his sleeping victims. Mohammed, on the other hand, was emaciated and unable to lift the stones. Later the witness who led them to Mohammed admitted to lying. Eventually, Mohammed was released while the Stoneman continued taking lives.
From June 1989 to November, the Stoneman took 13 lives in Calcutta, and then without warning, they stopped. Reports of killings ceased, attacks were no longer happening, and the people slowly started feeling safe again.
No one ever figured out the Stoneman’s identity or why he committed the murders but the theories were plenty.
Other Stonemen
Despite the murders in Mumbai and Calcutta happening just two years apart, there was never any real evidence that tied them together. But the way the killings were done and who the targets were, lead many to that conclusion.
But whether it was the same man, multiple, or copycats, the question always remained. Why? Many believe it was just hatred towards the homeless community, others believed it may have been the work of some cult or ritual practice, while others still believed the killer himself was just a psychotic individual.
The Stoneman killer was never found but there have been sort of copycats or men given the name by the press due to a similar M.O. In 2016, a 35-year-old man was arrested for killing 6, in 2013 another man was arrested for killing 3 but, it is unlikely we will ever know who the original Stoneman was.
What we do know is during the years of 1985 to 1989 a group of people, or just one individual, became known as the Stoneman, killing 25 helpless and homeless people while they slept. And whoever they were, the Stoneman effectively unleashed a wave of terror in two cities.
