The Sullia Police on Sunday arrested five persons said to be involved in the October 8 murder in Sullia of Sampath Kumar (40), an accused in the murder of Kodagu district BJP secretary Balachandra Kalagi.
A special team of the district police was tipped off about the accused leaving from Munglipade near Kukke Subrahmanya in a car. The team intercepted the vehicle in Bilse Ghat and arrested the accused persons.
Two arrested persons are aged 35 and the others are aged 26, 27 and 32. Four accused persons are from Kallagundi Sampaje village, while the accused aged 32 is from Jalsoor village. The names of the accused have not been given as their test identification parade has to be held by an Executive Magistrate, the police said in a press note.
Superintendent of Police B.M. Laxmiprasad said that the arrested persons, who worked for Balachandra Kalagi, had a grudge against Sampath Kumar for the latter’s alleged involvement in Kalagi’s murder. There were also differences between supporters of Kalagi and Sampath Kumar over sand mining in which the two groups were involved.
On October 8, four persons attacked Sampath Kumar soon after he got into his car near his house in Kallagundi of Sampaje on October 8. They shot at him and attacked him with machetes. As he tried to flee, the accused chased him and shot at him once more before assaulting him with the machetes again. Sampath Kumar died on the spot, while his neighbour Thimappa, who tried to intervene, was injured.
Sampath Kumar was among the three accused arrested in connection with the murder of Balachandra Kalagi in Madikeri in March last year. He had been released on bail few days ago.
