The Chilling Case of the Stoneman Murders

As India transitioned through the 1980s, urban centers became hubs of economic growth and migration. However, amidst this progress, an invisible terror gripped the nation. A series of gruesome, unsolved murders took place in two of India’s largest cities, Bombay (now Mumbai) and Calcutta (now Kolkata). The killer had no name, no identity, only a hauntingly distinct modus operandi: he would strike in the dead of night, bludgeoning his victims to death with a heavy stone.

The first recorded incidents emerged in 1985 in Bombay, where nearly a dozen homeless individuals were found murdered in a horrifyingly similar manner. The victims were all pavement dwellers, targeted as they slept. No valuables were stolen, and there was no sign of struggle,only skulls shattered by large stones, as if the killer had struck with deliberate, overwhelming force. The Mumbai Police were at a loss. There were no witnesses, no forensic evidence, and no clear motive. Then, just as suddenly as the murders began, they stopped.

For a few years, the case faded from public memory. But in 1989, a similar pattern of killings emerged in Calcutta. At least 13 more victims were discovered, all homeless, all murdered in their sleep with heavy rocks. Panic spread throughout the city, and for the first time, authorities began to speculate that India had its first known serial killer.

Despite heightened police presence, stakeouts, and investigations, the murderer remained elusive. There was no confirmed sighting, no apparent pattern in the victims beyond their vulnerability, and no way to predict the next attack. Some theories suggested that the killings were the work of multiple individuals rather than a lone psychopath. Others speculated that the murderer was a deranged individual with a personal vendetta against the homeless. However, no conclusive evidence ever surfaced.

By 1990, the killings stopped as mysteriously as they had begun. To this day, the identity of the Stoneman remains unknown, and the case remains one of India’s most infamous unsolved mysteries. Whether a lone killer was behind these murders or multiple copycat crimes took place remains a subject of speculation. What is certain, however, is that the Stoneman Murders created an atmosphere of fear that lingers in urban legend, a reminder that sometimes the most terrifying monsters are the ones we never see.