The Serial Killer – Stone Man

Subhasmita Das, of class – 5, shares the gripping story about the infamous Stone Man, the serial killer who terrorized the streets of Calcutta in the 1980s.

The other day, I found myself flipping through the newspaper. I see my father do it daily, so I thought I’d give it a try. But to my dismay, all I saw were reports of murders. I couldn’t wrap my head around how someone could kill so coldly. How could a person be so heartless? It was terrifying!

Still, I was curious. I didn’t know much about the subject, so as usual, I turned to my favourite tool—Google. I started searching for information, but the article I found was filled with words I couldn’t understand. I quickly lost hope and realized that maybe I needed to read more to make sense of it all.

Yet, my mind wouldn’t let go of the questions. After dinner, I decided to ask my grandmother. Maybe she’d have some answers. But instead of getting answers, I was met with a scolding! Apparently, murder was a ‘gruesome’ subject. Well, I didn’t know that, did I? I was still confused, but after a while, my grandmother softened. She always does when she’s about to tell a story.

“It was the year 1980,” she began. “Calcutta was a city bursting with life. But then, one day…” She paused for a sip of water, as she always does at the suspenseful bits. “The city was struck by fear.”

“What happened?” I asked eagerly.

“Someone started killing people who were sleeping on the footpath… with a stone.”

“With a stone? But why?” I was bursting with curiosity.

“That, my dear, remains a mystery,” Grandma replied, her voice low and serious.

“But what about the police? Didn’t they catch him?” I pressed.

“The police were confident they’d catch him within a week or two. But weeks turned into months, and they found nothing. It was as if the killer was a ghost. Twenty people became his victims.”

“Why, Grandma? Why would someone do that?”

“Well, you see, behind every murder, there’s usually a motive. But in this case, the police couldn’t find one. The only connection was that all the victims were homeless, sleeping on the streets. Eventually, they realised they were dealing with a serial killer, and they gave him a name—Stone Man.”

“What’s a serial killer?”

“A serial killer is someone who murders at least two people in separate incidents, usually at different times,” she explained.

“So, has this happened before?” I asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes, it has,” she said. “In fact, something similar happened in Maharashtra in the 1920s. And there have been many more serial killers in history.”

“Like who?”

“Well, there was Jack the Ripper in 1888. He killed five women, and no one ever found out who he really was. His identity remains a mystery.”

“Any others?”

“Of course. There was Jeffrey Dahmer in 1978, and Harold Shipman, known as ‘Dr. Death,’ who killed people between 1972 and 1998.”

“And what happened to the Stone Man? Did they ever catch him?”

“No, after 1987, the killings stopped. The Stone Man vanished, and Calcutta slowly returned to its joyful self. But the mystery of the Stone Man remains unsolved to this day.”

“So, could the Stone Man still be a danger to Calcutta?” I asked, feeling a chill run down my spine.

“Alright, enough stories for tonight,” my mother interrupted, clearly annoyed. “It’s time for you to go to bed.”

But, to be honest, I pretended to sleep. And now, I’m secretly writing this for you all. I can hear my mother coming, so I’ll have to stop for now. But I promise, one day, I’ll do my best to help protect the world from these horrible crimes.

Adios!