The son of a former gram panchayat president from Ramanagara was found murdered, a day after he was reported missing. His half-burnt body was discovered in the Kattigehalli forest near Kanakapura on Saturday.
Police have arrested four people, including the victim’s wife and her lover. A fifth suspect is on the run, an investigating officer said.
Kiran Gowda, 27, from Maralavadi village near Harohalli, about 48 km west of Bengaluru, was the son of Dasappa alias Tammannaiah, a former president of the Maralavadi gram panchayat. Kiran ran a chicken shop and was married to Chaitra.
Kiran had left home on Friday morning and never returned. His family searched for him when he didn’t return home on Friday night. They learnt that he had closed the shop at 8.45 pm.
Kiran’s father filed a police complaint the next morning, suspecting that Yashwanth Gowda B A, the son of a local villager, could be involved in his son’s disappearance. Harohalli police picked up Yashwanth for questioning. He spilled the beans
eventually.
Police said Yashwanth and Chaitra had an affair. Kiran had discovered this and fought frequently with his wife. Yashwanth and Chaitra decided to kill Kiran. Yashwanth took help from his friends, Karthik, Tayappa and Annaiah.
Murder at a party
Police also found out that Chaitra was also complicit though she had stayed home. Yashwanth took Kiran out for a drinks party near his shop. Later, he and his friends pounced on Kiran, tied him up with a rope and strangled him.
They later transported the body to the forest, dumped it in a narrow ditch and poured diesel over it. They then set it on fire and fled from the spot.
After arresting Yashwanth, police took him to the ditch and retrieved the half-burnt body. A post-mortem was conducted later.