Andhra's 'syringe psycho' uses a veterinary needle to poke victims: What the cops know so far

The ‘syringe man’ of West Godavari district does not use a syringe to attack his victims, he uses a veterinary needle. Veterinarians punch holes in the thick skins of the animals with such needles before administering injections, according to the police. There’s no possibility of the ‘psychopath’ on the loose injecting any substance into his targets with this weapon, they said. There is a sense of panic, particularly among women, in the Narsapur division, after the unidentified man started his pierce-and-scoot act a couple of weeks ago. However, there has been no attacks after 26 August, the police added. They have constituted 45 special teams and installed 25 check-posts to track the man. “The attacker might not be a psychopath, but a mischief-monger harassing women,” Superintendent of Police of West Godavari district Bhaskar Bhushan told Firstpost. “The police are working overtime to nab him but he has remained elusive so far,” he added. [caption id=“attachment_2415552” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “] Screengrab[/caption] The SP has disclosed that two college girls of Yandagandi village in Undi mandal of the district were attacked on 22 August. There was a spree of such attacks in Kovvuru, Nidadavolu, Bhimavaram, Achanta, and Palakoderu areas in the next few days. He also said the number of his victims is being exaggerated. “He has attacked 11 women so far, not more than 20 as being reported. Some of them are suspected attacks or ones reported out of fear psychosis,” he said. He confirmed that the weapon is not a syringe that has been used to inject chemicals or bacteria into the victims. The police are taking the help of a girl to connect the dots with the numerous clues emerging from the probe. She was among the first victims of the attacker. The miscreant had pierced this girl with a needle from behind on 22 August. The girl had a verbal exchange with the person after he returned to ask her name. She remembers the face and the police have prepared a sketch based on her impression, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Sowmya Latha. The DSP says that the police, after thorough investigation, have concluded that the attacker is not a psychopath, but he has been indulging in the crime to satisfy his “sadistic instincts”. Narrating the modus operandi, Ms Sowmya Latha has said that the man attacks the target without any warning. He rides a bike at great speed and pierces the needle into the victim after coming close to them. About the investigation, she has said that the police are keeping a watch on some people in veterinary services and paramedics. According to the victims, the offender speaks with a West Godavari accent. Therefore, he is likely to be a native of these parts of the district, says Bhaskar Bhushan. None of the victims has been able to record the registration number of the two-wheeler.