Octogenarian farmer killed; financial dispute suspected

An 87-year-old man was found murdered near a pump house in his agriculture land in Peenya on Friday morning.

The police suspect the motive of the murder could be a financial/property dispute and are gathering clues about his assailants.

The farmer, Nagappa alias Muniyappa, resided in Channanayakanahalli in Peenya, North Bengaluru. He had six sons and two daughters and lived in his house situated near his agricultural land.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Nagappa left home at 7 am and usually returned for breakfast after an hour or so. On Friday, however, he did not return after three hours following which his wife Puttamma sent their servant Narasimhaiah to call him.

Narasimhaiah found Nagappa’s body lying motionless near the pump house at 11.00 am and he alerted the neighbours. Receiving information about the death, Peenya police visited the spot and held a probe. Nagappa was bludgeoned with a blunt weapon and he died due to severe head injuries, the police said. They are analysing Nagappa’s call detail records over the past week for clues about his assailants.

Nagappa’s wife Puttamma told police that her husband was into money lending business and had disputes with some villagers.

However, police are probing all angles, including property dispute among Nagappa’s family members. He owns two acres of land which he maintains for several years.