Mumbai police probe "Beer Man" sex attacks, murders Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:44 PM IST
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Mumbai police are investigating a string of murders over the past month in which the victims, all homeless men, were sexually abused and empty beer cans left behind at the crime scenes. Neither the beer cans nor questioning of scores of pavement dwellers have so far yielded any lead into the killings of seven people, an investigating officer said on Wednesday. "We are seeking the help of gay rights groups in the investigations," the officer said on condition of anonymity. Most of the murders took place in a part of Mumbai known to be a meeting place for the city's gay community. The killer, suspected to be a well-built homosexual, struck late in the night, killing the men by either stabbing or bludgeoning them repeatedly after sexually assaulting them. The recovery of beer cans from at least four of the murder sites -- in a swish quarter of the city's south -- has prompted the media to dub the killer the "Beer Man". The murders have shocked the city's gay community. "Any gay in Mumbai will know the murders are taking place in a gay cruising zone," said Ashok Row Kavi of the gay rights group, Humsafar Trust. "The gay community of the city is fearful of the developments," he told Reuters. -- www.gaybombay.in www.gaybombay.info
