CCTV footage of brutal killing goes viral on social media; Killers nabbed within four hours

Hubballi: In a gruesome murder caught on CCTV cameras, prominent ‘Vastu Shastra’ expert Chandrashekhar Guruji was stabbed to death in broad daylight by two miscreants in the reception area of a hotel in Hubballi yesterday.

The Guruji is from Bagalakote and is a Civil Engineer by qualification. He is popular for the ‘Saral Vastu’ programme on local Kannada entertainment and news channels where he offers guidance on the traditional Indian system of architecture and design for home and office construction. Several politicians and businessmen have known to seek consultations from him.

The CCTV footage of the killing, which has been widely circulated in the social media, shows two persons stabbing the Guruji multiple times and escaping from the hotel. Several people were present at the time of the stabbing but none could do anything.

In the disturbing video, two persons could be seen seated on the couch at the reception of the hotel when Chandrashekhar Guruji entered the lobby and sat down on the couch in the reception area close to the two miscreants who were waiting for him. When Chandrashekhar Guruji takes a seat on the couch, one of them bends down on his knees and touches Guruji’s feet. The other man takes out a sharp weapon and begins stabbing Chandrashekhar Guruji multiple times. The body of the Guruji bore 60 stab injuries.

Though the onlookers and hotel staff present at the spot tried to approach Chandrashekhar Guruji for help, the two men threatened them forcing them to run away for their lives.

Later, the CCTV footage shows both the armed miscreants fleeing the spot. The entire incident took place in 40 seconds. Guruji is said to have died on the spot. The body was shifted to KIMS in Hubballi for post-mortem. Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Labhu Ram, DCPs Sahil Bagla, Gopal Byakod, and other Police officials visited the spot. The dog squad was also pressed to service.

Killers nabbed in 4 hours

Two men, accused in the murder of the Guruji, were nabbed by District Police and Hubballi-Dharwad City Police from Ramdurga town outskirts in the district while they were trying to escape. The killers were nabbed in four hours of them committing the crime. The accused have been identified as Mahantesh Shirur and Manjunath Marewad, both former employees of the Guruji.

The accused had reached Ramdurga town outskirts in a car and were attempting to go towards Bagalakote. Ramdurga Police, who had been alerted, blocked road by using a JCB and Police vehicle. Cell phone location of the accused were utilised to keep tab on their movement.

Guruji had four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. He is survived by his wife and a daughter and the last rites will be performed at the agricultural land in the outskirts of Hubballi today.