Wife detained for city realtor's murder

The half-burnt body of a realtor from A Narayanapura in the City was found at Bangarpet in Kolar district on Tuesday. Within hours, the police claimed cracking the case and detained five suspects, including his wife.

The realtor went missing on Monday.  Manjunath alias Manjappa, 43, was first murdered, following which his killers poured kerosene on the body and set it afire. The body was found on Ajjappanahalli Road, about three kilometres from Bangarpet.

The Bangarpet police, in collaboration with the City police, cracked the case in 12 hours after the body was recovered. Manjunath’s wife, Mangala, has turned out to be the prime suspect.

Initial investigation suggests that Mangala, along with tenant Kiran, killed Manjunath at the house. Thereafter, Kiran took the body in Manjunath’s car and disposed it of near Bangarpet.

Police sources said Kiran had three other accomplices. The Bangarpet police have detained all five suspects.

A senior officer said the police suspected that an affair between Mangala and Kiran could be the motive behind the murder.

The sources said when they went to Manjunath’s house, they were intrigued by blood marks there. The family, however, could not come up with a satisfactory explantation. The police officers questioned Mangala, who broke down during the interrogation and confessed to the crime.

Meanwhile, Manjunath’s car, an Innova, met with an accident at Shigehalli on Hoskote Road. The car crashed into an electricity pole near a petrol bunk. Minutes before, it was involved in another accident with a Maruti Swift car. Paramesh, who was driving the Swift, said the Innova driver fled after the car hit his vehicle. “But I chased him down and called up the police. But to my horror, I found blood and weapons inside the car. I let the driver off, fearing for my safety,” Paramesh told Deccan Herald. The Kadugodi police found two lethal weapons and blood stains on the rear seat of the car.
They also found a driving licence and traced Manjunath with the help of the Mahadevapura police which have jurisdiction over A Narayanapura. Manjunath’s family was informed of the development in the early hours of Tuesday.

Initially, Mangala feigned ignorance. She said the family celebrated their daughter Bindu’s birthday on Monday. She claimed that Manjunath left in his Innova sometime between 1 am and 4 am on Monday, shortly after watching the ICC Champions Trophy final. However, the police were not convinced.  Manjunath’s family is politically well-connected. His maternal uncle Chinnappa is a former Congress corporator from the A Narayanapura ward. Manjunath was an active worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party and hobnobbed with a few top leaders. He also possessed a licensed revolver.