Karnataka - Shimoga   

Missing man found dead

SHIMOGA: A person who was reported to be missing has been found murdered. According to Superintendent of Police S. Murugan, two men have been arrested in connection with the case.

Talking to newspersons here on Monday, he said that Sumitramma of Shikaripur lodged a complaint with the police on March 25, 2008 that her husband Somappa (45) who had gone to Anandpuram had not returned. The case was registered in the Shikaripur police station.

He said that even as investigation was going on, a complaint was received on April 15 that a body was found floating in the backwaters of the Sharavathy at Hasirumakki near Sampekatte in Hosnagar taluk. According to the complaint, the hands and legs of the body were tied before it was thrown in the backwaters.

Mr. Murugan said that he set up a special squad to track down the culprits in the two cases.

He said that what proved to be the vital clue in the case was that the wife of the victim had given the mobile phone number of her husband in her complaint. He said that a thorough check of the incoming and the outgoing calls from the mobile phone between March 12 and March 15 showed that Gajanan of Sampigekatte had called the victim repeatedly through his mobile phone.

He said that after being interrogated Gajanan revealed that he and Sunil murdered Somappa. He said it was learnt that the victim and the accused were involved in smuggling and were convicted. It was stated that Somappa came in contact with Gajanan when he was lodged in jail in Shimoga.

He said it was stated that Somappa had taken Rs. 7,000 from Gajanan on the promise that he would give part of the gold coins from the treasure that he had reportedly unearthed. Somappa did not keep his promise and it ended in enmity.

Mr. Murugan said that Somappa had reportedly cheated Sunil also by promising that he would supply timber logs and had taken Rs. 2,000 from him as advance money. When Sunil asked him to return the money, Somappa started harassing him asking him to give more money.

He said that the accused who were reportedly cheated by Somappa in one way or the other called him to a particular place in Hosnagar taluk to attend a party and when he went there they allegedly murdered him and threw his body in the backwaters of the Sharavathy.

He said that the body found in the Sharavathy backwaters was identified as that of Somappa on the basis of the information given in the complaint.

Mr. Murugan lauded the efforts by the special squad in achieving a breakthrough in the case.

Additional Superintendent of Police Kunigal Srikanth was present.

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Missing man found dead

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