The police have arrested a relative of a woman who was murdered nearly three months ago near Guthigar, Sullia taluk, in connection with the case.
Vedavathi (42), wife of Jayarama Gowda of Nalkur village, near Guthigar in Sullia taluk, was murdered on April 16 between 11.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m.
People staged a protest in Guthigar about a month ago pressing the police to arrest those responsible for the murder.
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Addressing the media here on Thursday, Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, Superintendent of Police, Dakshina Kannada, gave the name of the arrested as Karunakara (52) of the same village. He is a distant relative of the deceased, Mr. Borase said.
He said that the motive for the murder appeared to be money as the accused owed a loan of Rs. 30 lakh.
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He said the accused had parked his two-wheeler a little away from the house of the deceased on that day. She let him inside the house as he was a relative. He allegedly killed her when the woman refused to pay money and jewellery as demanded by him.
He also destroyed her mobile phone.
Jewellery recovered
The accused left the village on the day of murder. Later, he tried to evade the police on the pretext of getting himself admitted in hospital for medical treatment. He was arrested on Wednesday after enough evidence was collected.
The wife of the accused, Prema, was involved in the destruction of evidence and hiding jewellery stolen from the house of the deceased, said the police, who have recovered jewellery worth Rs. 2 lakh from the accused.
In 2005, the police had registered a cheating case against the accused, he said.
Vedavathi was murdered on April 16