New twist in ZP member murder case: Vinay Kulkarni’s PS Nyamagouda arrested

In a major twist to ZP member Yogeeshgouda Goudar murder case involving former minister and Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni as one of the key accused, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials on Thursday arrested KAS officer Somu Nyamagouda.

Nyamagouda was Vinay Kulkarni’s personal secretary when the latter was a minister.

The CBI picked up Somu Nyamagouda, who is now APMC secretary at Byadagi and in-charge of Gadag and Tiptur APMCs, from his house in Gadag and brought him to suburban police station in Dharwad.

After subjecting Nyamagouda to Covid 19 test and general health check up at the district hospital, the CBI officials brought him to the police station for questioning. Nyamagouda is the first government officer to be arrested by the CBI in the murder case.

Meanwhile, the CBI also interrogated Basavaraj Mutagi, the main accused in the murder case, former ZP vice-president Shivanand Karigar, KPCC secretary Nagaraj Gowri, Yogeeshgouda’s wife Mallamma, and Vivek, who worked as trainer at Uday Gym, at the suburban police station on Thursday.

Sources in the CBI said, the Congress leaders were brought face to face and questioned by the sleuths.

The CBI sources said, Somu Nyamagouda was confronted with documents and questioned him about the money transaction related to the murder. He had allegedly produced documents that Vinay was in Delhi on the day Yogeeshgouda was murdered. The CBI questioned him about the minister’s travel programme.

Former minister Vinay Kulkarni, who was arrested by the CBI on November 5, 2020, has been lodged in Hindalga Central Prison in Belagavi, while his relative Chandrashekhar Indi, who was arrested on December 17, 2020, on charges of supplying arms to the assailants of Yogeeshgouda, is lodged in Dharwad Central jail.

Bail plea adjourned

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court which took up Vinay Kulkarni’s plea on Thursday seeking quashing of FIR against him in the murder case, adjourned the hearing to July 26. The Karnataka High Court, and lower courts had earlier rejected Vinay’s bail plea.

Yogeeshgouda Goudar, a ZP member from Hebballi representing BJP, was brutally hacked to death on June 15, 2016, at his gym in Saptapur of Dharwad.