18 wives, 18 murders

A former teacher in Mangalore, India, has confessed to marrying and murdering 18 women since 2003.

Mohan Kumar, 46, admitted to the murders of the women, aged between 18 and 25 after being detained by police on Wednesday in a case involving a missing girl.

His marry-and-murder spree began after he resigned as a primary school teacher after working for 23 years.

Killer 'husband' Mohan Kumar being led to court on Wednesday

According to media reports, Kumar would approach the girls and tell them that they resembled someone he knew, just to strike up a conversation.

After asking them about their family backgrounds, he would meet them for a few times before proposing marriage. He would insist that his family would not want any dowry, as it is the custom among many ethnic groups in India.

If the woman agreed, he would take her to a temple to get married according to Hindu rites.

Investigations showed that each of his "wives" did have a honeymoon before they were murdered. They were taken to different lodges in Bangalore, Mysore, Hassan and Madikeri in the state of Karnataka.

However, soon after having sex, he would make them swallow cyanide pills, which he would claim were contraceptives pills.

Most of the women were found dead at bus stations in various towns of the state a day after their spent their wedding nights. One was found dead in a temple.

A large crowd turned out to see Mohan Kumar as he was brought to the Mangalore High Court

Police spokesman Gopal Hosur said after having sex, Mohan would usually ask his "wives" to keep jewellery in the room as a precaution against robbery before taking them to visit places of interests.

"Along the way, he would make the woman take a cyanide in the bathroom of the bus stand. He would wait there for three minutes to ensure that his victims never returned.

“He would then rush back to the lodge, pick up the jewellery and return home to his village near Mangalore,” he said.

In his confession, Kumar, who has three real wives, said commited the crimes to satisfy his sexual urges and also to get their jewellery.

It was reported that Kumar made his first “amorous advances” in 2000 and had tried to push one woman who rejected him into a river.

Onlookers nabbed him and handed him over to the police but Kumar was acquitted when the witnesses did not turn up in court.

Kumar was taken to the Mangalore court were police obtained a five day remand order. Police have also detained a goldsmith suspected to have supplied cyanide to the serial killer.

Police have so far identified 17 of the murder victims with one more in the process.