Bangalore, June 25, 2013, DHNS :
The half-burnt body of a realtor from A Narayanapura in the City was found at Bangarpet in Kolar district on Tuesday. Within hours, the police claimed cracking the case and detained five suspects, including his wife.
The realtor went missing on Monday. Manjunath alias Manjappa, 43, was first murdered, following which his killers poured kerosene on the body and set it afire. The body was found on Ajjappanahalli Road, about three kilometres from Bangarpet.
The Bangarpet police, in collaboration with the City police, cracked the case in 12 hours after the body was recovered. Manjunath’s wife, Mangala, has turned out to be the prime suspect.
Police sources said Kiran had three other accomplices. The Bangarpet police have detained all five suspects.
A senior officer said the police suspected that an affair between Mangala and Kiran could be the motive behind the murder.
The sources said when they went to Manjunath’s house, they were intrigued by blood marks there. The family, however, could not come up with a satisfactory explantation. The police officers questioned Mangala, who broke down during the interrogation and confessed to the crime.
Meanwhile, Manjunath’s car, an Innova, met with an accident at Shigehalli on Hoskote Road. The car crashed into an electricity pole near a petrol bunk. Minutes before, it was involved in another accident with a Maruti Swift car. Paramesh, who was driving the Swift, said the Innova driver fled after the car hit his vehicle. “But I chased him down and called up the police. But to my horror, I found blood and weapons inside the car. I let the driver off, fearing for my safety,” Paramesh told Deccan Herald. The Kadugodi police found two lethal weapons and blood stains on the rear seat of the car.
They also found a driving licence and traced Manjunath with the help of the Mahadevapura police which have jurisdiction over A Narayanapura. Manjunath’s family was informed of the development in the early hours of Tuesday.
Initially, Mangala feigned ignorance. She said the family celebrated their daughter Bindu’s birthday on Monday. She claimed that Manjunath left in his Innova sometime between 1 am and 4 am on Monday, shortly after watching the ICC Champions Trophy final. However, the police were not convinced. Manjunath’s family is politically well-connected. His maternal uncle Chinnappa is a former Congress corporator from the A Narayanapura ward. Manjunath was an active worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party and hobnobbed with a few top leaders. He also possessed a licensed revolver.
EARLIER NEWS:
City businessman found murdered near Bangarpet
Kolar/Bangalore, June 26,;A 43-year-old real estate businessman from Mahadevpura in Bangalore was found murdered at Kesaranahalli in Bangarpet in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) police district late on Monday night. His car was found abandoned in Kadugodi on the outskirts of Bangalore.
The police identified the victim as S. Manjunath of A. Narayanapura in Mahadevpura and a BJP worker.
The body was found partially burnt. The police suspect that the victim was done to death elsewhere and the body burnt to conceal his identity.
Meanwhile, the Bangalore police found a vehicle with bloodstains and the Bangarpet police suspect that it might have been used to transport Manjunath’s body.
Manjunath reportedly went missing on Sunday night. According to the police, his family said he left home early on Monday. Manjunath is survived by wife Mangala, two children, Bindu and Appu, besides his aged parents.
Lokesh, nephew of Manjunath, said: “After celebrating his daughter’s birthday on Sunday, Manjunath watched television till late in the night. A relative who came to their house early on Monday morning found the car missing and was puzzled.”
The family then realised he was missing and tried contacting him, but his phone was switched off. The family presumed that he had gone to a farm but grew concerned over his prolonged absence. Meanwhile, the Bangarpet police recovered the body.
Vital clue
A minor scrape on Manjunath’s car with another vehicle provided a vital clue. The car had hit an electric pole and had scraped another vehicle near Seegenahalli in Hoskote. The owner of the car that was hit by Manjunath’s car alerted the Kadugodi police after he saw the driver abandon the car and run away.
The police who rushed to the spot, found two daggers and a liquor bottle inside the car, which had bloodstains. They identified the owner by the registration documents.
The Mahadevpura police informed the family who also identified Manjunath.
The body was handed over to his relatives in Bangalore after post-mortem, police said.
