A mining baron's son and brother have been arrested for killing him last year.
Police say Hari Krishna, 42, ganged up with his uncle Shivaram Prasad, 48, to plot the murder of his own father Singanamale Madhav, 70. A gang of assailants had slit Madhav's throat in Thalaghattapura, South Bengaluru, on February 14, 2020. In June last year, police managed to apprehend nine of the suspected killers.
A police investigation found that the killers were hired by Madhav's son Hari Krishna and younger brother Shivaram Prasad. Police had put them under surveillance and arrested them when they arrived in the city on February 11. A court has remanded them in police custody for further questioning, said a police officer.
According to police, Madhav had inherited Bellary Steels and Alloys Limited from his father. The business did well initially, and he founded three more companies. But he eventually went bankrupt and accumulated debt. He was also jailed in a cheque-bounce case related to his business. He called it quits and relocated to Bengaluru with family.
Hari Krishna wanted his father to clear the debt, get the companies running again and make him the majority shareholder. But Madhav didn't agree.
Hari Krishna then ganged up with his uncle to eliminate his father. He hired hitmen for Rs 25 lakh, and paid them an advance of Rs 7.5 lakh.
After Madhav's murder, Hari Krishna and Shivaram Prasad went into hiding in different parts of the country and used Skype to contact family and friends.
Police suspected the duo from Day One, and their prolonged disappearance only strengthened those suspicions. They arrested them after tracking their digital footprint.