A little over 20 days after a ragpicker was found hacked to death on the premises of a BBMP park at Hennur, the police have arrested another ragpicker for the murder. A blood-soaked print of a slipper next to the body helped them crack the case. The body of the victim, Ashok, 43, was discovered on May 14.
The police, on examining the footprint, realised that the murderer had worn a pair of slippers. They rounded up all the ragpickers who were visiting the park and took the prints of their slippers but could not find a match. During the course of the investigation, the police learned that one ragpicker, Satish, 30, who was regular visitor to the park, was missing since the day of the murder.
The police kept a watch and on Saturday got a tip-off that Satish had returned. A team of police tracked him down. “We got his footprint which was the same size as the one at the crime scene. The design of the slipper he was wearing was also a match,” said a police officer. Satish allegedly confessed to the crime. He said Ashok, who hailed from Kalaburagi, had occupied his space at the park where he would sleep regularly.
“The duo got into a fight, and in a fit of rage Satish attacked him with a chopper he was carrying. He stabbed Ashok 12 times, killing him on the spot. As it was dark, he did not know about the footprint. He came out of the park, threw the chopper behind an isolated building and went back to his native Malur in Kolar,” said a police officer. Commending the investigation, the DCP (East) announced a cash reward for the police team.
