Silvester D'Souza
With Additional Pics by Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi/Kundapur
Udupi/Kundapur, Aug 26: The police on Tuesday August 26 arrested three persons in connection to the murder of home-alone elderly lady Girijamma Urala (84) at Manoor and seized the gold they had stolen from her.
The arrested are identified as Manoor resident Nithin Achari (24), the prime accused, Praveen K V (25) of Kumbashi, and Sanketh Gudigar (17), of Vakwady. Brahmavar police arrested Nithin first, and based on information provided by him during interrogation, the other two accused were nabbed from Kumbashi.
Girijamma, wife of Radhakrishna Urala, a resident near Mahalingeshwara Temple, Manoor was murdered on the night of Wednesday August 20. The incident came to light the next day.
Late on Wednesday night, noticing that Girijamma was all alone in the house, prime accused Nithin, who was familiar with her, plotted to rob her. He contacted his friends Sanketh and Praveen and told them of his plan and described the entire scene of the victim's house to them. As per Nithin's plan, Praveen removed the tiles of the roof and gained entry into the house, and opened the front door to let Sanketh in.
Meanwhile, Girijamma woke up and began to scream on seeing the intruders. The accused Praveen then grabbed a piece of cloth and covering her face with it, he held on to her so that she could not move. Sanketh looted all the gold that was in the house. The accused strangled Girijamma to death and snatched away the gold earrings and chain she was wearing, causing wounds on her earlobes in the process. All the while, Nithin stayed outside the house and kept a watch and gave instructions to the other two, said the police.
Girijamma had been residing in the same house for the past 25 years, and all by herself after her husband's death. On Wednesday, she was supposed to go to Hassan for a wedding and had kept her gold ornaments ready for it in the cupboard. However, she took ill the same day, and could not travel to Hassan as planned. On Thursday August 21 morning, when her neighbour came to give her milk, she found Girijamma dead.
The prime accused Nithin had earlier been involved in ganja peddling cases and other cases in Kundapur police limits. He was even jailed in Hiriadka, where he came in contact with some other criminals. After he came out from jail, he told a few persons of his contacts in prison and offered to do any underhand job for them. Nithin learnt of Girijamma's plans to attend the wedding, the cancellation due to her ill health and the fact that she had gold ornaments with her. He then conspired to loot her.
The gold ornaments stolen from her were pledged by the accused in S K Goldsmith in Koteshwar and at Kundapur's Manappuram Gold. The police recovered the stolen gold weighing 31 grams, worth Rs 78,000, from both these places. It is said that some more gold amounting to Rs one lac has been pledged in other places, and the police are trying to recover it. The deceased woman was also in possession of 46 cents of land valued at over a crore.
After the murder came to light, the police formed three teams and succeeded in nabbing the accused. The accused were produced in front of the media on Tuesday August 26, in a press meet addressed by SP Rajendra Prasad, who gave the above details of the case. All the three accused were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody.