Karnataka serial killer, who murdered 4 people in 75 days, nabbed in Andhra

Gonne’s modus operandi was simple — he invited his enemies for a drink and, when they were too drunk to process their surroundings, he smashed their head with a boulder.

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Soma, alias Aslam, alias Gonne, a serial killer who murdered four people in 75 days, was arrested by the Hosakote police on Thursday in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district.

Gonne acquired his unique nickname thanks to his habit of eating his own mucous.

In 2015, Gonne was convicted of kidnapping a girl in Chikkaballapura. When he was released on September 30 2017, he went on a killing rampage – bumping off rivals and those he held responsible for his downfall.

According to Bengaluru Rural Superintendent of Police, Amit Singh, Gonne’s modus operandi was not elaborate. He kept it simple – he took the person out for a drink and when they were too drunk to make sense of their surroundings, he smashed their heads in with a boulder.

Gonne’s first victim was Ramesh, his ex-best friend – the man he held directly responsible for his jail stint. Upon his release, it took Gonne 20 long days to find him.

“Gonne often did odd jobs – sometimes he worked as a cleaner at hotels, sometimes he sold scrap metals. In 2015, he stole some cables. He gave Ramesh the money he got on selling them. He claimed that Ramesh asked him to steal the cables in the first place. When the police nabbed Ramesh, he blamed Gonne. That year, Gonne had kidnapped a girl in Chikkaballapura too and he got caught. So he was sentenced to jail for two years,” said SP Amit.

Gonne pretended to offer Ramesh an olive branch and asked to meet him. On the night on October 23, an unsuspecting Ramesh agreed to meet Gonne for a drink. A drunk Ramesh agreed to let Gonne walk with him to KEB Circle in Hosakote, where he had his head smashed in with a boulder.

His second victim, Uma, was murdered because she witnessed Gonne kill Ramesh.

After killing two people, he was now ready to bump off the man who gave him the scar on his face.

Gonne now started looking for Shankara, alias Dance Master, one of his long-time drinking buddies. Police say that Gonne and Dance Master would get drunk and fight with each other regularly.

“He (Gonne) boarded a van carrying luggage in Hosakote a few days after murdering Ramesh and Uma. He got off at Malur and boarded a bus to Bangarapete. It was here that he began looking for Shankara,” SP Amit said. “During one of their regular fights, Shankara had pulled out a razor and slashed Gonne’s face with it. He has a deep cut on his right ckeek and Gonne had to grow a beard to cover it up as he did not like the gash on his face.”

On the night of November 9, Gonne finally caught hold of Dance Master. He managed to convince Dance Master to have a drink with him — just like the old times.

Only that it ended with the death of Dance Master.

Realising that it was not safe for him to hang around in one place any more, Gonne came back to Hosakote. On the night of December 15, Gonne went to a bar in Upparahalli village, where he met Narayanachari. The duo started chatting, and when the bill arrived, Narayanchari refused to pay.

“Gonne initially fought with Narayanachari and later convinced him that it was not a big deal. He took Narayanchari to an under-construction building where he smashed his head with a stone,” the SP said.

Gonne fled from Hosakote after his fourth murder. The Bengaluru Rural Police saw a pattern in the murders and they soon realised that Gonne was behind them all.

The police approached Gonne’s wife, who lives in Kolar. They found that he had called from Chittoor a few times.

They finally apprehended him on Thursday and he has been booked for murder.