Murder solved after three years

Confessing to the crime, accused Mallesh told the police that he had gone blind with love. But things took a tragic turn after he got into wrong company.

On August 11, 2006, Mallesh and three associates stabbed Manjunath, a relative of the accused at the latter’s Valmikinagar residence in Chamrajpet.

The police said Mallesh was madly in love with a classmate who was from a different religion.

On proposing, she advised him to concentrate on studies and stop thinking of love. Mallesh took the advice seriously and turned to studies.

 He passed with flying colours. This time, he approached the girl with the marks card but she rejected him outright and asked him to settle down in life.

The lovelorn Mallesh approached a friend, Madhu, and the latter hatched a criminal plot.

Accordingly, Mallesh stole Rs 50,000 from his house and waited for an opportunity to kidnap the girl and get married.

The plan fizzled out and Madhu introduced Mallesh to three others - Ziaullaha, Devraj and Manju. The gang decided to rob Mallesh’s rich uncle in Chamrajpet to raise money for Mallesh’s marriage plans.

Mallesh and Zia entered the targeted house, while two others waited outside. After dining with the family, Mallesh’s cousin Manjunath took the guests to his room on the terrace.

The duo waited for the family to fall asleep so that they could let their waiting friends in and burgle the house.

 But their plan misfired a second time. As Mallesh spoke of his unrequited love, his cousin criticised the girl’s religion, which enraged Zia. An incensed Zia stabbed Manjunath and fled the house with Mallesh.

On the run for the last few years, Mallesh worked as a painter.

The police traced him to Doddabasthi and arrested him while his three associates are still at large.