The Dakshina Kannada district police on Thursday arrested six persons allegedly involved in the murder of a 30-year-old man to thwart the latter’s engagement with a girl on April 30 this year.
Superintendent of Police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase gave the names of the arrested persons as Anand Naika (35), Praveen, Vinay (30), Nagaraj (39), Prakash (31) and Lokesh (34).
An unidentified charred body of a male was found abandoned by the Dharmastala-Petrame Road on April 30.
Following examination by forensic experts, material evidence gathered at the spot and the missing complaint filed at the Belthangady police station, the police identified him as Sanjeev Naika of Belthangady.
Mr. Borase told reporters here on Thursday that Anand Naika, a priest in the Aadishakti Mahamayi temple in Navoor, did not want Sanjeev Naika to get engaged with a girl on April 30. On his directions, Praveen and four other accused persons called Sanjeev Naika to Ujire on April 29 under the pretext of giving information about the State government’s Ganga Kalyana Scheme.
Mr. Borase said that the accused took Sanjeev Naika in a van and threatened him against getting engaged with the girl. When Sanjeev Naika refused, one of the accused strangled him with a wire. Following Sanjeev Naika’s death, the accused put the body in a gunny bag and abandoned it by the roadside after setting it on fire.
Mr. Borase appreciated the efforts put in by the special investigation team led by Belthangady Police Inspector Nagesh Kadri in solving the case within four days of the murder.
