PSYCHO KILLERS : HOW ONE BECOMES? - BY K.LEELA VYSHNAVI

INTRODUCTION

Crime is an act which causes harm to the individual or to the society. It’s a wrongful act which is forbidden by law. Crime is an anti-social behavior which is injurious to society. Individuals commit crime because of jealousy, greed, anger, revenge. Besides keeping criminals apart there is another kind of killers termed as “PSYCHO KILLERS.” Who are these? Why do they kill some other persons? What are causes for turning into psycho killer? Are there any legal consequences for that kind of killer? Psycho killers often called as serial killers. One can be called as a serial killer if he kills two or more persons in a series. Psycho killers are those who appear to be normal human beings. The style of the murder will be the same and the gap between one murder and another murder may be a day or a month or a year. The psycho killers may not even know the victim whom they are going to be killed. They behave in such a way because of many reasons which will be listed below:

REASONS FOR TURNING INTO PSYCHO KILLER

1. INFANCY: Infancy might be the reasons for turning into psycho killers. Because it is the stage where the infant should feel the affection of parents. If not they get these affections they will lose humanity and become psychopathic which will turn them into psycho killers.

2. CHILDHOOD: Some children at the childhood age feel loneliness or become bullied by their friends because of their physical appearance i.e. height, weight e.t.c. they may lose concentration on studies which makes them turn into psycho killers.

3. MISSION: Mission is nothing but in order to get certain things done or to complete certain tasks persons turn into psycho killers.

4. PARENTING: Many parents now-a-days are busy in their work schedule and are not taking care of their child. Parents are unaware of the children’s thoughts. At the certain stage every child requires their parents to take care of their child’s thoughts, emotions, actions, well-being e.t.c.

5. SEXUAL DESIRES: Sexual gratification is the main aim of these killers. Serial killers who kill for lust would like to have total control and supremacy over their victims. So, to ensure that they have control over their victim they kill them.

Some serial killers are psychotic and some are not. Typically their attitudes and motives depend on their parenting and childhood. 

LAWS REGARDING PSYCHO KILLERS

Are you aware that there are laws dealing with psycho killers? Yes, there are laws dealing with these kind of killers though explicitly not mentioned in IPC (INDIAN PENAL CODE, 1860) the provisions laid in section-299 and section-300 indirectly deals with the psycho killers.

SECTION-299 OF IPC- Whoever causes death by doing an act with the intention of causing death, or with the intention of causing such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, or with the knowledge that he is likely by such act to cause death, commits the offence of culpable homicide.

SECTION-300 OF IPC- Except in the cases hereinafter excepted, culpable homicide is murder, if the act by which the death is caused is done with the intention of causing death or (Secondly) -If it is done with the intention of causing such bodily injury as the offender knows to be likely to cause the death of the person to whom the harm is caused, or (Thirdly) -If it is done with the intention of causing bodily injury to any person and the bodily injury intended to be in­flicted is sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death, or (Fourthly) -If the person committing the act knows that it is so imminently dangerous that it must, in all probability, cause death or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, and commits such act without any excuse for incurring the risk of causing death or such injury as aforesaid.” Are there any intentions to commit a crime by psycho killers? Are there any motives to commit such crimes? One may be aware that in criminal to make the person punish by law his intention will be taken into consideration. Intention termed as “men's rea” which, means the person committing a crime is aware of nature and consequences of committing a crime. Dealing intention and psycho killer, the psycho killer is fully aware of consequences after committing a crime. Intention is to be taken as an important feature when punishing person under section-299 and section-300 of IPC.

CASE: SURENDRA KOLI VS. STATE OF U.P. and ORS

In this case the accused had killed children of 2 years of age where he chopped body parts of the children and cooked them and ate those body parts. The accused had killed several children. The accused kidnapped the girls, had sex with those children and chop them and eat those body parts after cooking them. The accused was found by the Noida police people wherein the death punishment was given to the accused under section-375 (punishment of rape), section-302 (murder), and section- 364 (kidnapping or abducting). And therefore, the Supreme Court passed the order with death sentence.

CASE: STATE OF MAHARASHTRA VS. SINDHI ALIAS RAMAN

A series of murders occurred in the outskirts of Mumbai in August 1968. Pavement and hutment dwellers were bludgeoned to death while they slept. All the murders took place at night and were committed using a hard, blunt object. He admitted that he had murdered 41. The accused was sentenced under section-302 of IPC. He claimed an exception under section-84 of IPC. The Bombay High Court interpreted Section 84 of The Indian Penal Code and made distinction between “legal insanity” and “Medical insanity.” Though the accused may have some kind of medical insanity he is fully aware of legal consequences of committing that particular crime. He is first given death punishment which was later changed to life imprisonment.

CONCLUSION

The serial killers are those who have urge to kill people. They are prone to kill the people because of numerous reasons. They commit crimes because they are in the assumption that there are no particular laws for psycho killers. But the fact here is those psycho killers can be punished under INDIAN PENAL CODE, 1860. They are awarded with death punishment and life imprisonment.