A missing-person complaint filed by a woman for husband in Karnataka has led to the arrest of three people including a woman he had been in a live-in relationship with, the police said on Monday.
S D Sharanappa, Commissioner of Police, Kalaburagi city, identified the deceased as Raghavendra Naik, 39, and the arrested accused as Ashwini alias Tanu, 26, Gururaj, 36, and Lakshmikanth, 28. He said that a live-in relationship that went wrong could be the reason behind the murder.
In March, when an unidentified dead body was discovered in the Krishna river near Shaktinagar in Raichur district, the police registered a case of unnatural death. Surekha, wife of Raghavendra Naik, later filed a complaint at the Station Bazaar police station in Kalaburagi stating that her husband had been missing for two months.
According to the police, Raghavendra Naik, who would do odd jobs, used to come home once a week or 10 days. But he did not come home for more than 15 days, prompting Surekha to approach the police.
Inspector Shakil Angadi led the investigation, which revealed that Raghavendra Naik was involved in a live-in relationship with Ashwini. However, Ashwini later left him and began a new relationship with Gururaj. When Raghavendra Naik discovered this, he began harassing Ashwini, demanding she return to him.
Frustrated by Raghavendra Naik’s persistent harassment, Ashwini complained to Gururaj, who allegedly devised a deadly plan with his friend Lakshmikant.
On March 12, Ashwini invited Raghavendra Naik to meet her near Super Market in Kalaburagi. When Raghavendra Naik arrived at the designated location, all three conspirators kidnapped him and transported him to a graveyard near Krishna Nagar, according to the police.
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The police said the accused brutally assaulted him at the graveyard, including on his private parts, eventually killing him. Following the murder, they allegedly threw his body into the Krishna River at Shaktinagar in Raichur district.
An officer said that when the police checked the call detail records (CDR), WhatsApp messages, and audio notes of Raghavendra Naik, they found out about his relationship with Ashwini. Upon interrogating her, she spilt the beans about the murder, the officer added.