Man develops cold feet after murder, confesses to cops

A teenage boy who fell in love with a neighbour was abducted and murdered by the girl’s maternal uncle and three of his friends.

The suspects dumped the body in a forest near Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru district. However, one of the suspects developed cold feet and called the police control to make a confession.

On Wednesday, the police retrieved the body that was thrown about 50 metres into the forest and handed it over to the family after an autopsy.

The victim was Govindaraju (19), a resident of Mathikere who worked in a chicken shop. He had fallen in love with a PUC student living next door.

The girl’s family got to know about the affair on January 30 when she kept her mobile phone unattended and got busy with household chores.

Anil Kumar, 28, her mother’s brother and potential husband, checked the phone and was enraged after seeing so many messages that Govindaraju had sent her.

It was a matter of prestige for Kumar. He paid for the girl’s education and took care of her needs. He wanted to marry her. He decided to teach Kumar a lesson.

Around 10 pm that night, he told Govindaraju he wanted to talk. He took him to a shed in Andrahalli owned by a friend named Bharath, whose father is a local politician. Two other friends, Kishore and Lohit, joined them.

The group confronted Govindaraju about the messages, and he confessed to being in love with the girl. They checked his phone and were incensed at finding obscene messages.

They hit him with a wooden log and a blunt metal object. He collapsed and died soon after. The group decided to dispose of the body in the Charmadi Ghat. They stuffed it in a car and drove to Charmadi Ghat. The body was kept upright in the middle rear seat with two men sitting on either side. The group drank alcohol in the car and later dumped the body in the forest near Mudigere.

Govindaraju’s disappearance prompted his mother Gangamma to file a missing person case on Tuesday.

Even as the police were investigating, the control room received an anonymous phone call. The caller said he wanted to make a confession and narrated how they had abducted a man and beaten him to death. He said they had made a mistake. Police are yet to identify the caller.

They eventually laid their hands on Kumar, the main suspect, and all other suspects, said D Devaraj, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North).

The four men have been booked for murder and destroying evidence, he added.