Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru,Dec 31: A woman living within the limits of Aikala gram panchayat near Kinnigoli in the taluk was killed by slitting her throat with a knife. The murder happened on Saturday December 30 afternoon, and the killers are yet to be identified.

The victim has been identified as Vasanthi Shetty (58) from Birkil House in Aikala. The ornaments Vasanthi wore in her hands and around her neck were found to have been taken away. The cupboard located in the other room of the house was found to have been ransacked. A deep wound could be found in her neck while some other parts of the body had minor injuries. Blood stains were found in the front room, as well as the wall and the floor outside her home. Vasanthi's cellphone was found lying outside her home. A knife made of stainless steel lying under the sofa next to the lifeless body was also recovered.

The sniffer dog that was pressed into service came back after exiting the house from the rear door, then reaching the front side and moving for some distance.

Vasanthi used to live in her house with her husband, Sudhama Shetty, an LIC agent by profession. Sudhama usually left home in the morning and returned home by 3 pm. At around 12.30 pm on Saturday, Sudhama said, he had received a call in his cellphone from his wife but the call ended before he could respond. Sudhama called his wife back, but there was no response. He then contacted a friend living in Kinnigoli and asked him to visit his house and confirm that everything was in order. His friend went there and found Vasanthi murdered in the front room of the house.

The scene of the crime indicates that this murder was committed for gold ornaments.

Sudhama's friend, Prakash Shetty, said that immediately after getting his friend's call, he rushed to the home of Sudhama and found that Vasanthi's mortal remains were lying in a pool of blood. He said he immediately alerted the neighbours and called Sudhama to tell him about the tragedy.

Deputy commissioner of police, Uma Prashanth, Panambur assistant commissioner of police, Rajendra, Mulky station house officer, Anantha Padmanabha, Moodbidri station house officer, Ramachandra Nayak, finger print experts and canine squad visited the spot and undertook investigation.