From Motive to Justice: The Dark World of Mass and Serial Killers

Mass Murder is defined as a series of four or more homicides committed by one or a few perpetrators in a single incident at one location.

A person may conduct mass murder for a variety of reasons, including seeking power, satisfying sexual cravings, venting anger, religious beliefs, being psychologically unwell, or having a past that has resurrected and prompted them to commit mass murder or serial homicide.

Mass killings are frequently a dramatic and prominent event, attracting immediate police attention. In almost all cases, the perpetrator is captured on the day of the act or dies as a result of suicide and/or police shooting during apprehension.

The majority of mass murderers are middle-aged men. Some psychologists attempted to explain this extreme distribution from an adaptive standpoint, claiming that it may take years of negative experiences for these individuals to develop the deep sense of frustration that leads to mass murders, resulting in the occurrence later in life.

Mass murders frequently occur in public settings often making the event locally limited. However, some psychologists pointed out that mass killings involving familicide most often occur privately in residential settings. It commonly involves family members (40%), but acquaintances and coworkers can also become victims as well. Mass murder often occurs in an interracial fashion due to the large proportion of familicides, and the victims are often very young and are female.

Revenge has often been a motive for mass murders and the victims may be chosen because of their real or symbolic link to status threats or adaptive threats to the murderer. At times the murders can be well planned and methodical rather than spontaneous and random and this may especially be true if revenge is a motivation.

The offender may have been rejected, alienated, mistreated or even bullied by peers. While some rare killers may attempt crimes to express power and dominance to gain attention for a perceived wrongful treatment. most commonly used weapon of choice is firearms including handguns, rifles, and semi-automatic weapons.

Although other types of mass killings have occurred through the use of knives, physical force and explosive devices but these events are very rare and perhaps that is because of the lack of skill of the perpetrator and the requirement of strong effort or the lack of guaranteed efficacy of the method.

A notable Example of Mass Murder can be the Affan Case; This case took place in Kerala in February 2025, it involves a 23-year-old man named Affan, who allegedly killed five people, including his family members and girlfriend, across three different locations in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

The accused allegedly murdered his 13-year-old brother, grandmother, uncle, aunt, and girlfriend. He surrendered to the police and confessed to the crimes. The motive behind the killings is still under investigation, but it appears to be pre-planned and executed methodically.

The sections under which Affan can be charged under are; Section 302 IPC (Murder), Punishment for murder – Whoever commits murder shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine, Section 201 IPC (Destruction of Evidence) and Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information, to screen offender.

 

Serial murder is a type of mass murder which means killing of two or more victims by the same offender in separate events.Some serial Murders include kidnapping or torturing their victims prior to murdering them.

It’s not always clear what motivates serial killers to commit such heinous acts but abnormal psychological processes, notably severe antisocial tendencies are to blame. In society, serial killers often generate fascination along with fear; their crimes tend to bring notoriety, media attention, and “fans” who study their crimes or, in some cases, form relationships with the murderer. therefore, we can conclude that serial killers commit such crimes for some motive.

Serial killers can be classified into three types ; First are the Visionary Killers (These killers believe that they are being “ordered” to commit murder by God or another entity, they may have schizophrenia or experience a psychotic break shortly before committing their crimes.); second the Mission-oriented serial killers (These types of killers consider that it’s their “duty” to rid the world of certain people like sex workers.) ; and third the Hedonistic killers (These killers derive pleasure from killing, either sexual or thrill-based.)

The Difference between serial killer and mass murder :

Features	SERIAL MURDER	MASS MURDER
Definition	The unlawful killing of two or more people by the same person in separate events occurring at different times.	The killing of three or more people in a single incident at a single location.
Timeframe	Murders occur over a period of time, often with some gaps between killings.	Murders occur simultaneously or within a very short timeframe.
Location	Murders occur at different locations.	Murders occur at the same location.
Victim count	Involves a smaller number of victims	Involves a larger number of victims

An Example Of Serial Murder can be the case of Surendra Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher v. State of U.P. (2011) 4 SCC 80 ; In December 2007, India woke up to the horror of Noida’s Nithari village, where body parts of dead children and young adults were traced to the house of Moninder Singh Pandher.

It was later revealed that his servant, Surendra Koli, had been raping and killing the women, often minors, even eating their body parts, in one case even cooking them. Pandher was in 2009 acquitted of charges in one case. He is still a co-accused in other cases, but his death sentence has been overturned. Of 15 cases, Koli has been convicted in five. In January this year, the Allahabad high court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment.

 

 

The Sections under which punishments are given if a mass murder is committed are;

Section 34 Of The Indian Penal Code (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.— When a criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all, each of such persons is liable for that act in the same manner as if it were done by him alone.) ;

Section 120 A of the Indian penal code(Definition of criminal conspiracy.—When two or more persons agree to do, or cause to be done,— an illegal act, or an act which is not illegal by illegal means, such an agreement is designated a criminal conspiracy: Provided that no agreement except an agreement to commit an offence shall amount to a criminal conspiracy unless some act besides the agreement is done by one or more parties to such agreement in pursuance thereof.) ;

Section 120 B of the Indian penal code (Punishment of criminal conspiracy.— (1) Whoever is a party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable with death, [imprisonment for life] or rigorous imprisonment for a term of two years or upwards, shall, where no express provision is made in this Code for the punishment of such a conspiracy, be punished in the same manner as if he had abetted such offence. (2) Whoever is a party to a criminal conspiracy other than a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable as aforesaid shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding six months, or with fine or with both.) ;

Section 149 of the Indian penal code ( Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object.—If an offence is committed by any member of an unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object of that assembly, or such as the members of that assembly knew to be likely to be committed in prosecution of that object, every person who, at the time of the committing of that offence, is a member of the same assembly, is guilty of that offence.) ;

Section 302 of the Indian penal code (Punishment for murder.—Whoever commits murder shall be punished with death or 1[imprisonment for life], and shall also be liable to fine.) ;

Section 304 of the Indian penal code (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.—Whoever commits culpable homicide not amounting to murder, shall be punished with [imprisonment for life], or imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine, if the act by which the death is caused is done with the intention of causing death, or of causing such bodily injury as is likely to cause death; or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, or with fine, or with both, if the act is done with the knowledge that it is likely to cause death, but without any intention to cause death, or to cause such bodily injury as is likely to cause death. ) ;

 Section 307 of the Indian penal code (Attempt to murder.—Whoever does any act with such intention or knowledge, and under such circumstances that, if he by that act caused death, he would be guilty of murder, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine; and if hurt is caused to any person by such act, the offender shall be liable either to [imprisonment for life], or to such punishment as is hereinbefore mentioned. )

 

The last case we'll look at is one of the first mass murder cases in India to result in capital sentence. It became the turning point moment in Indian criminal history, demonstrating how educated people might transform into brutal criminals. This is still one of Pune's most notable crimes, and it is widely debated in crime history circles.

The Joshi-Abhyankar Serial Murders of 1976-1977 were a string of savage killings that occurred in Pune, Maharashtra, between January 1976 and March 1977. The case is one of India's oldest recorded cases of mass murder, with the perpetrators apprehended, prosecuted, and executed.

The killers were all engineering and commerce students at prestigious Pune colleges. Their backgrounds, as educated, middle-class families, added to the shock of the case.

They committed crimes such as theft and robbery, which quickly escalated to murder. They perpetrated ten killings over a 14-month period, targeting wealthy businessmen, shopkeepers, and their families.They committed extremely violent crimes, including strangulation, stabbing, and bludgeoning.

Notable murders by them include the murder of a shop owner in Pune's Sadashiv Peth district in January 1976, as well as the theft of money. In March 1976, they murdered a family of five, including children, in a home in Shaniwar Peth, Pune. In 1977, they murdered a businessman and his servant in Narayan Peth.

All of their homicides were motivated by greed, as they looted their victims in order to maintain a lavish lifestyle of drinking and partying.

The Pune police examined a series of similar murders and discovered common patterns. One of the accused, Pradeep Gajre, made mistakes that resulted in their arrest. Police investigated their money transactions and linked them to the victims. The four were apprehended and confessed under interrogation.

They were accused with several counts of murder, robbery, and conspiracy. The trial occurred in 1977-78, and they were convicted guilty. They were sentenced to death in 1978 by the Sessions Court.The Supreme Court of India upheld the death sentence in 1980, and they were hung in 1983 in Pune's Yerwada Central Jail.

In conclusion, mass murder and serial killings are among the most heinous crimes, leaving an indelible effect on the victims' families and society. Mass murders are typically perpetrated in a single event and location, whereas serial murders take place over time and involve multiple victims. The Joshi-Abhyankar serial killings (1976-1977) are among India's most infamous crimes, showcasing how educated individuals can become vicious killers. This case was important because the culprits were sentenced to death, illustrating the judicial system's ability to provide justice in the face of extreme brutality.