1. Life

2. Crimes & victims
    Crimes  Victims 

3. Arrest & convictions

4. References

Life

Kempamma is from Kaggalipura, located in Karnataka.^[4] Kempamma married a tailor, but was abandoned by her husband in 1998.^[2] Her husband left her after Kempamma's chit fund business took large losses. Her husband threw her out of the house.^[1][4][5] She has three children.^[6] She then worked odd jobs, including becoming a domestic worker and a goldsmith's assistant.^[2][4] She often stole from houses she worked in as a domestic worker.^[4]

Crimes & victims

Crimes

Kempamma is alleged to have murdered multiple women, but has been convicted of six murders.^[4] Kempamma was alleged to have usually visited temples near Bangalore, and to have watched for women who appeared distress. After spotting a woman, she would try to get them to trust her by listening to their problems and advising them to perform mandal pooja, which she told them would help them overcome their problems.^[1][2][7][5] She pretended to be a religious woman that was well-versed in rituals.^[7] She then offered to arrange for the pooja at a temple on city outskirts.^[1] She told them to come to the ritual wearing finery.^[2] Once the victim arrived, Kempamma would start the ritual, tell the victim to close their eyes, and force them to drink cyanide-laced water or eat cyanide-laced food.^{[1][2][4][7][6]} She was 43.^[6] She got the cyanide from jewelry shops, where it was used to clean gold jewelry.^[1][5] She claimed to have learned about killing with cyanide from movies.^[5] From this modus operandi, she gained the popular nickname "Cyanide Mallika."^[2][5][3] She would hold the noses of victims while they drank. Once dead, she would rob her victims of their money and valuables.^[1][4][7] She changed her identity after every murder.^[4]

Kempamma was arrested in 2000 by the police in Bidadi. She had been trying to rob valuables from a house where she had been tasked with performing a ritual. The victim was able to escape unscathed by screaming. The victim was saved by her family, and Kempamma was arrested. She served six months in prison and was released afterward.^[1][6]

Victims

Her first murder was committed on October 19, 1999 in Hoskote. Her victim was 30-year-old Mamatha Rajan, who was killed while she was praying at a temple.^[1][5][6] In 2007, Kempamma killed five more women between October 10 and December 18.^[1][5][6] Her second victim was Elizabeth, who was 52 and from Satanur. Elizabeth was praying to find her missing granddaughter. Kempamma lured her to the Kabalamma temple and killed her. Kempamma's third victim was Yashodhamma, aged 60. She was killed at Siddaganga Mutt, Kyata-Sandra in December 2007. Kempamma promised to perform a ritual to offer her relief from asthma. The fourth victim was 60-year-old Muniyamma, who wished to sing devotionals. She was from Yelahanka and killed at Yadiyur Siddalngeshwar Temple. Her fifth victim was Pillama, aged 60, and killed at Maddur Vyadyanathapura. Pillama was a temple priest at Hebbal temple. Kempamma told Pillama that she would sponsor a new arch for the Hebbal temple.^[5] Kempamma's last victim was Nagaveni, a 30-year-old woman that was praying to become pregnant as she was childless.^[1][5] She wished to have a son.^[5] Kempamma killed her while she was sleeping.^[2]

Kempamma was alleged to have killed one more victim, 22-year old Renuka, at a pilgrim center at Kolar district in 2006. Renuka was murdered in a temple dormitory on December 7, 2006. Renuka's sister, Mani, asserted that Kempamma could have murdered Renuka. Renuka was staying with Mani at Mani's house while Renuka's husband was away working in Dubai. Mani worked as a domestic worker in a house where Kempamma worked as a cook. Kempamma visited Mani's house often, and befriended Renuka. Renuka's husband, Shankar, originally reported Renuka missing to the police on December 29, 2006 when he returned from Dubai. Renuka had beem missing since December 7, 2006. Allegedly, Kempamma told Renuka that she could give birth to a male baby if Kempamma conducted a special ritual at a temple. The police asserted that Kempamma murdered Renuka at the temple. Many other families have also come forward claiming that their missing family members may have been murdered by Kempamma, as Kempamma knew them all.^[8][9] Five cases of missing persons were associated with Kempamma in 2009. Two of these five women's bodies were found and subsequently linked to Kempamma.^[10]

Arrest & convictions

Kempamma was arrested on December 31, 2008 while at a bus stand.^[1][2][7] She was arrested after trying to sell the jewelry of victims.^[6] Kempamma was using the name Jayamma, and was flagged by police after a tip was given to them about her.^[1][7] On her person, she had money and valuables from some of her victims. When her plea was taken by the police, she admitted her guilt.^[2] The police alleged she committed the motives solely for robbery.^[2]

Kempamma was convicted of multiple murders in separate trials. In 2010, she was given a death sentence for the murder of Muniyamma.^[11][12] In 2012, she was given another death sentence for the murder of Nagaveni. She was given the death penalty.^[7][3][12] Kempamma was the first woman to be given the death penalty in Karnataka.^[3] Her sentence for Nagaveni's murder was commuted into life in prison.^[7][11] The sentence was converted because the court found that there was only circumstantial evidence against Kempamma.^[7]

In 2017, Kempamma was featured in the news again for being the jail neighbor of V. K. Sasikala.^{[4][13][14][15]} While Sasikala was there, Kempamma asked to meet her repeatedly. After this, Kempamma was moved to another jail, reportedly because she posed a threat to Sasikala's life. However, others denied this and said that the two were friendly and that Kempamma would even bring Sasikala's food to her during meal times, as Kempamma did not want her to wait in line for food.^{[14][16][17][18][19]}

References

• Cumbrian Coastal Group
• Cumbrian Coast Group
• Cumbrian Newspapers
• Cumbrian Newspapers Group Ltd
• Cumbrian Newspapers Ltd
• Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• C. umbrosus
• Cumbum block
• Cumbungi
• Cumburindio Formation
• Cumbus tambur
• Cumbus tanbur
• Cumby High School
• CumCo
• Cumdivock
• Cu(MeCN)4
• CU Medicine
• Cumeragh Village
• Cumeral language
• CumFreq
• Cu M'gar District
• Cum gutters
• Cum hoc non propter hoc
• Cumhurbaşkanlığı Sarayı
• Cumhuriyet, Afyon