Daijiworld Media Network - Shivamogga (SP)

Shivamogga, Sep 1: In connection with the abduction and murder of a patient who was being treated in a hospital at Shikaripura in the district, the police personnel of Shikaripura town police station have succeeded in arresting two accused who had escaped after committing this dastardly act.

The arrested accused were produced in the court on Friday August 31, upon which they were remanded to judicial custody.

The person who was killed in this case has been identified as Devaraj (45) from Nandigudi village, Harihar taluk, Davanagere district. Shivaraj (26) from Shikaripura town, and Malatesh (36), resident of Kanivemane village in Shikaripura taluk, are the murder-accused.  This complicated case was busted by a police team led by Shikaripura police circle inspector, Basavaraj, and sub-inspector, Ravikumar, under the guidance of district superintendent of polcie, Abhinav Khare, and deputy superintendent of police, Sudhakar Naik.

Devaraj, a liquor addict, who had lost his wife a few years back, had left his daughter to the care of a relative living at Gama village in Shikaripura taluk. Whenever he fell ill, he used to get admitted into the government hospital at Shikaripura and return home once his health improved. A few days back too he had got admitted in this hospital.

Shivaraj and Malatesh had visited the hospital to see a friend being treated there, when accidentally they got to come in contact with Devaraj. At that time, a relative called Devaraj on cellphone and provided details of the ATM card he was holding. As Devaraj could not write down the details on the spot,  he had given his cellphone to Shivaraj, who was standing nearby, duly asking him to note down the PIN.  Devaraj then went to the ATM located in the hospital along with the accused, and withdrew Rs 2,000, and the accused observed then that he had a balance of over Rs 90,000 in his account. They planned to somehow take away ATM card from Devaraj and withdraw money as they knew the PIN. On August 18, they brought Devaraj out of the hospital and demanded ATM card. When Devaraj refused, they attacked him and forcibly took away his ATM card.

Devaraj, who was semi-conscious then, was taken away by the accused in a motor bike to Kaginele forest area and killed him by dropping a boulder on his head. They stuffed the body in a gunny bag, threw  in a nearby canal, and escaped.  They thereafter withdrew over Rs 60,000 from the account. In the meanwhile, Devaraj's relatives enquired at the hospital about Devaraj going missing. They found that the cellphone of Devaraj was switched off, and thousands of rupees had been withdrawn from his account. On August 22, they filed missing complaint in the town police station at Shikaripura.

The police who collected CCTV footage from the hospital, could identify the faces of the accused. They based their investigation on this information and put together details. The accused were hiding in Ayanur village in this taluk, and when they were arrested, they narrated their tale of crime.