A 38-year-old jewellery store owner was allegedly murdered by strangulation in Tiptur town in Tumakuru on Tuesday.
The victim Sridhar had invited three friends at his residence on Monday night for dinner and drinks, when the incident occurred, said Superintendent of Police Karthik Reddy.
Sridhar’s two nephews, Rithik (14) and Roshan (10) were fast asleep in an adjacent room when they were abruptly woken up by the screams of their Uncle at around 1.30 a.m. on Tuesday.
The children ran to their Uncle’s room to find the three men strangulating Sridhar. They threatened the children by brandishing a knife and instructed them to sit in their room. After one hour, the children heard the three leave in a car.
Mr. Reddy said that Sridhar had given loans amounting to Rs.60 lakh by mortgaging property and vehicle belonging to these three unidentified men. The steel chest, in which the documents were locked, has been taken away by the men.
A case is registered in Tiptur town police station.
