Real estate agent stabbed to death by relatives

A 48-year-old realtor was stabbed to death reportedly by his relatives over a property dispute in Kothanur on Tuesday night.

The deceased has been identified as K M Nagaraj, a resident of Thippanna Layout.

Around 7.30 pm, the suspects came on a two-wheeler and attacked Nagaraj, who was standing in front of his house. They fatally stabbed him 11 times before they sped away, the police said.  

The suspects are  Manohar and Harish, who are related to Nagaraj, and Appu, one of Manohar's friends. They are all in their early 20s.

Nagaraj was shifted to hospital immediately, but died around 11 pm. In his dying declaration, Nagaraj told the police that the attackers were his relatives.

Based on his statement, the police arrested the suspects in the early hours of Wednesday. The police picked them up from a farm house in Nelamangala, tracking their location via their mobile phones.    

According to preliminary inquiries, Nagaraj and Manohar are cousins; their mothers are sisters. Nagaraj owned a two-acre plot, which he converted into a residential layout. There was a dispute that he had illegally acquired the land from his father and did not share it with the other members of his family. It is said neither family filed a complaint or approached the court, but they used to frequently quarrel over the property issue.

Nagaraj was employed at  a private firm, but recently quit his job to start his own business.