Is the stoneman back on Kolkata roads?

Kolkata, March 27 On Thursday morning when residents of Ritchie Road noticed a body of an unidentified youth lying in a pool of blood, they thought it as one more incident of crime. But after they noticed a stone stained with the victim’s blood near the body, panic gripped. Fear of the return of the dreaded “Stoneman” started haunting the residents.

“Stoneman” was the name given by the media here to an alleged serial killer, who is said to have committed 13 murders over a six-month period in 1989.

The stoneman used to target pavement dwellers while they were asleep by smashing their heads with a stone.

The police is yet to crack the case.

When asked about the possible return of “stoneman”, DC (south) Rajesh Subarno rubbished it saying that today’s murder looked more like the result of an altercation.

“One murder committed with a stone doesn’t mean the Stoneman has returned or that it is the work of a serial killer,” he said.

“If there were several murders following the same pattern, then we could begin to speculate. As far as we know, the incident appears to have occurred during the night and could have been the result of a fight,” he said.

According to the police, the youth appeared to be aged between 25 to 30 years, and was clad in a black-and-white patterned full-sleeved shirt and cargo.

The body, they said, was discovered by local residents who then informed the police at around 7.30 am.

No documents or money were found from the pocket of the person that could help in identifying the victim, police added.