Five get life imprisonment for labourer’s murder

The Principal District and Sessions Court, on Saturday, sentenced to life five persons found guilty of murdering a 29-year-old labourer and burying his body in a pit in December 2007. The murder came to light two years later when the pit was dug up.

According to the chargesheet filed by Mangaluru Rural police, Siddappa (29), a native of Bagalkot, married Kasturi. They lived in a rented house in Kuloor. Mohammed Anwar (30) of Balloorgudde used to visit their house. Anwar and Kasturi got into a physical relationship. Kasturi left the son she had with Siddappa with Anwar, much to the dislike of Siddappa. The couple would have frequent fights over this issue.

Anwar and Kasturi decided to murder Siddappa. On December 6, 2007, Kasturi took Siddappa to a place near the railway track in Balloorgudde. Mohammed Anwar and his four friends - Mohammed Naufal (23), Mohammed Salim (26), Abdul Bashir (37) and Abdul Naushad (32) - who were at the spot, strangled Siddappa and buried the body near the railway track, the chargesheet said.

Siddappa’s brother Basappa filed a complaint with the Mangaluru Rural police on August 22, 2009, about his missing brother. The police questioned Kasturi, who revealed the murder during interrogation. She also led the police to the spot where the body was buried. The spot was dug up in the presence of the then Assistant Commissioner Prabhulinga Kavalikatti. The remains were exhumed and DNA analysis was performed to confirm that it was Siddappa’s body. Inspector B.R. Lingappa arrested the five accused.

Public Prosecutor Pushparaj administered evidences of 23 witnesses including forensic experts Raghavendra Babu Y.P. and Suresh Kumar Shetty and of Mr. Kavalikatti.

Principal District and Sessions Judge K.S. Bilagi sentenced Mohammed Anwar and his four friends to life on finding them guilty of murder. All the five were also sentenced to undergo three years rigorous imprisonment and fine of Rs. 10,000 was imposed on the charge of destroying evidence by burying the body in the pit. Both the sentences will run concurrently, the Judge said.

The court did not pass any order against Kasturi, as she has been missing since obtaining bail a few weeks after her arrest.