Quantum of punishment to be pronounced on Friday

PANJIM, OCT 5
North Goa District & Sessions Court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on the notorious serial killer Mahanand Naik on Friday morning. Principal Sessions Judge Nutan Sardessai today heard arguments to decide on the quantum of sentence, after convicting him of raping his wife’s friend.
While, the prosecution led by PP Milena Pinto pleaded the Court to award maximum and enhanced punishment to the alleged ‘duppatta killer’, defence counsel Mauro Menezes argued that Naik’s guilt in other cases were not proved.
“The nature of evidence doesn’t show anything grave… the PP is harping on 10 chargesheets filed against Mahanand Naik but she doesn’t mention that he is already acquitted in three cases,” Adv Menezes argued.
Dressed in a dark-blue pair of jeans faded along the sides and a shiny maroon long-sleeve shirt, the 43-year-old former rickshaw driver sat silently on the bench meant for the accused in the Court hall, listening to arguments.
The alleged accused was arrested by the Ponda police after the lone surviving victim (22) in April 2009 filed a complaint that Naik repeatedly raped and blackmailed her for three years.
After allegedly confessing of committing a string of offenses, police booked him for allegedly raping, killing, threatening and robbing 18 susceptible girls for over a period of 15 years.
Speaking to a couple of journalists outside the Court premises last Friday, the serial killer alleged that police falsely implicated him in cases which he never committed.