Psycopath killing beggars triggers panic in Guwahati

An alleged psychopath killer who is said to be responsible for killing five beggars and injuring four others in a month has triggered panic here.

The killer who hits his victims below the ear either killing them or robbing them of the power of speech, has been preying on beggars for the past one month here, police said.

Dubbed as the 'stoneman' after the one who had attacked pavement dwellers in Kolkata many years earlier, the killer has been striking in the lonely stretches between Panbazar- Bharalumukh areas targeting beggars sleeping alone, additional superintendent of Police Debajit Deuri said on Friday.

The assailant has clinical precision in his attack hitting below the ear with a heavy weapon which left his victims dead or rendered them speechless, Deuri said.

Robbery was not the motive of the killer who did not touch the belongings of his victims, he added.

All the attacks also took place at the same time, between 3:30 am and 5:00 am. Deuri said, an individual or a group could be involved.

As a preventive measure, police patrols were intensified and pavement dwellers urged not to stay alone at night, he said.