Alleged lapses in investigation prove costly to tribal man: Mysuru District Police to probe lapses

Missing woman mistook to be murdered appeared before Court on Thursday.

Mysuru: Alleged lapses by Bettadapura police of Periyapatna taluk in filing a charge sheet without proper investigation and the alleged failure to file a revised chargesheet after getting the FSL report of the skeleton of the unknown body mistaken to be that of a missing woman have proved costly for a Jenukuruba tribe Suresh.

He had to spend two years and four months in Mysuru Central Prison.

Suresh, 45, is one of the 528 tribal people who were relocated to Basavanahalli near Kushalnagar after a protest in Diddalli in 2017. Suresh is now on bail and lives in Basavanahalli with his 14-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son.

After the missing woman, presumed to be murdered, appeared before the 5th JMFC Court in Mysuru after five years, on Thursday, the Court ordered the submission of a report on the case within 15 days, by April 17.

Mysuru district SP N Vishnuvardhana is awaiting a formal Court order to probe the case. The woman, who had married another man, Ganesh, and lived at Shakthigere in Virajpet taluk, is now housed at the state home for women.

ASP C Mallik informed that they would probe whether it was negligence by the Bettadapura police who were on duty then, mala fide intention by the cops or if it was just a colour of duty (action taken based on circumstantial evidence).

Advocate B S Pandu Poojari explained that, Mallige, 40, wife of Suresh, went missing on October 20, 2020.

A missing complaint was registered at the Kushalnagar police station the same day.

Meanwhile, Bettadapura police of Periyaptna taluk found the skeleton of a woman's unknown body. They secured Suresh and asked him to identify the belongings of the unknown body.

After taking the signature to written statements from Mallige's mother, Gowri and son that the belongings on the deceased skeleton were that of Mallige, based on a complaint by Mallige's son, Bettadapura police filed an FIR against Suresh under sections 302 and 201 of IPC on May 12 2021.

They later filed a 156-page Charge sheet with 55 pieces of evidence to the Court before receiving the DNA report. Suresh had made an extra-judicial confession before the police with regard to the killing of his wife and the manner of commission of offence as per the charge sheet. Mother and son cremated the unknown body, he said.

He added that Suresh's bail plea was rejected in December 2022 in the lower Court. After Suresh's father, Gandhi, approached him, he filed a bail petition in the Supreme Court in 2023, and Suresh was released in September 2023.

Even as six people had given evidence, on April 1, Suresh saw Gowri and Mallige in a hotel in Madikeri at 4.30 pm. He sent the photos and videos to him. He submitted facts to the Court on April 2.

The Court summoned Mallige, who appeared before the Court on April 3. In the Court, Suresh stated that he was arrested eight days before the FIR was filed, and he was forced to admit the crime. When he was produced before the magistrate, he was forced not to say anything to the magistrate.

Mallige's son and mother have also stated that they have not identified any clothes on the unknown body. The son also stated that he had just written the complaint as per the directions of the police.

Bettadapura police had failed to file a revised charge sheet after receiving the FSL report of an unknown body. The Court came down heavily on the Police who had submitted a charge sheet without proper investigation, Advocate Pandu said.

Meanwhile, Suresh and his parents, Gandhi and Mutthamma, said that the erring police officials should be punished.