Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur
Kundapur, May 5: The investigation and subsequent arrest in the murder case of 60-year-old Lalitha Devadiga in a lodge here on April 15 has unravelled a chain of events akin to those seen in movies.
Azhar Afzal Khan alias Ajay Babu (39), the accused who was arrested in Mumbai after days of manhunt, was produced before the media on Tuesday May 5. Along with him, the police also arrested Lalitha's daughter Shobha Devadiga.
Addressing the media, Udupi SP Annamalai said that Azhar who hails from Gujarat had strangled Lalitha with a wire on April 15 in the room of the lodge. Though at first it was suspected that she might have died of cardiac arrest, marks were found on her neck that confirmed the murder. "The police then took up the case as a challenge and finally succeeded in arresting the accused and cracking the case," Annamalai said.
"Azhar went around Karnataka, Mumbai and Gujarat in a bid to escape from the police, before being caught at Mumbai railway station. A special team consisting of inspector Naseer Hussain was formed under the leadership of DySP Manjunath Shetty and circle inspector Diwakar to investigate the case," he said.
Elaborating the chain of events that led to the murder, the SP said, "Gujarat-origin Azhar Afzal Khan alias Ajay Babu is 39 years old. He used to do embroidery in a garments shop in Mumbai. Lalitha's daughter Shobha alias Vaishnavi (33) used to work in the same garment's shop, and in course of time, Afzal fell in love with Shobha, but she did not know about it. She later married a Mumbai man named Vijayshaila whom she loved, following which a dejected Azhar left the job.
"After several years, Azhar came into contact with Lalitha Devadiga and soon became a good friend, so much so that he became part of the family and would accompany them on tours, temple visits and shopping etc. At an opportune time, he confessed to Shobha that he had loved her before and continued to do so even then. Shobha too reciprocated his love, and soon he proposed marriage to her. Shobha asked him to convince her mother.
"Afzal then came to Kundapur with the hope of convincing Lalitha (a resident of Gangolli). On April 4, he rented the room giving his Aadhar card details, in which his name was Azhar Afzal Khan. On April 15 at around 11 am, Lalitha came to see him at the lodge, and Azhar came down to the reception to meet her and took her to his room. At around 12.30 pm, they had lunch in the same hotel and he told Lalitha about his plans to marry her daughter. Lalitha refused to give her consent to their union. As pre-planned, he then strangled her with a wire he had brought with him, and after looting her gold ornaments, he absconded," said the SP.
"His bag containing a mobile phone and some medicines was found in the room. When his mobile phone was tracked, it was found that he had crossed into Maharashtra and then Gujarat. He had absconded along with Shobha and her two daughters who were staying in Mumbai. Hence, Shobha's involvement in the case was also established. The police accelerated the investigation. A missing complaint regarding Shobha's disappearance was filed in a Mumbai police station.
"Meanwhile, while staying at Satkar Sanman lodge in Gujarat, the accused couple tried everything to claim innocence in the case. Azhar and Shobha even planned to appear in court without getting arrested by the police. Azhar alias Ajay Babu also tried to make Lalitha's death appear as a case of suicide by making Shobha write a death note. The Kundapur police who kept a close watch on their movements took the help of Mumbai police and arrested Ajay while he was travelling from Ahmedabad to Mumbai," the SP explained.
The accused Azhar is unmarried and knows Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati languages. He had planned the murder beforehand and kept ready the wire he used in the crime, folding it into a noose and placing it in his pocket. Also, he had no money. The gold he stole fetched him Rs 41,000 in Mumbai. Despite being penniless, he offered to donate Rs 1.5 lac to Gangolli Jattigeshwara temple because of his closeness to Devadiga family, the SP said.
"Azhar had been arrested earlier for petty crimes. Investigation is on to probe the role played by Shobha in the entire case. All in all, we have been successful in cracking the case and unravelling the murder mystery," Annamalai said.