Land dispute results in rowdy’s murder

A group of four people stabbed a 32-year-old rowdy to death over a land dispute in KR Puram on Thursday afternoon.

The deceased, Manjunath alias Water Manja, was a resident of Priyankanagar in KR Puram, and was into the water supply business.

The police said Manjunath bought a piece of land from one Charan Raj and paid part of the amount. He built a makeshift home and moved in with his family. But when Charan demanded the rest of the money, Manjunath refused to pay him and threatened him of consequences if he continued to badger him.

The police said Manjunath was a former rowdy-sheeter at the KR Puram police station, who was involved in several cases, including attempt to murder. He was a nuisance to people in the area. But a few months ago, Manjunath vowed to the police he would stop his criminal activities and lead a normal life.

Preliminary inquiries suggested that Charan and Manjunath quarreled over the pending money and Charan’s brother, Sunder Raj, was also involved in the dispute.

At 1.30 pm on Thursday, Charan and his associates Raghu, Lingaraj, and Murali attacked Manjunath before Heaven Hotel near Butterahalli. The assailants were in their late 20s and early 30s.

As planned, the gang pounced on Manjunath the moment he came out of the hotel in Medahalli after supplying water. They fled the scene after confirming that Manjunath was dead. Based on a complaint from Manjunath’s mother, the KR Puram police formed four teams to nab the suspects.