Killer misleads the Police by creating pug marks

Nanjangud/Malkundi: In a chilling case of murder for gain, a man allegedly killed a 63-year-old woman for her gold jewellery and then staged the crime scene to resemble a leopard attack.

Nanjangud Rural Police have arrested Mahadevappa of Kasuvinahalli village on charges of murdering Shivarudramma and dumping her body in a soak pit before creating fake pug marks to pass off the crime as a leopard attack and mislead investigators.

Police said the accused planned the murder and fabricated evidence to exploit the fear of leopard movement in the area and divert suspicion from himself.

According to the Police, Shivarudramma had gone missing about four days ago after leaving her house. Her husband, Guruswamappa, subsequently lodged a missing persons complaint at the Nanjangud Rural Police Station.

Body retrieved

Treating the case seriously, the Police launched a search operation. During the investigation, they found the partially buried body of a woman inside a soak pit in an agricultural field. The body had been covered with mud and stones. After recovering the body, the Police confirmed the identity of the deceased as Shivarudramma.

Investigations revealed that Shivarudramma had been wearing gold ornaments weighing about 70 grams when she left home. Police said she had gone to the Mahalingeswara Swamy Temple on the outskirts of the village to pluck    bilva patre leaves for puja.

Offer to help

While plucking leaves near the temple, she noticed Mahadevappa working in a nearby agricultural field and sought his help. As he assisted her, he noticed the gold jewellery she was wearing.

Police said Mahadevappa then offered to help her collect sandalwood leaves, which are also used for temple rituals, and led her to the agricultural field where he was working, claiming there was a sandalwood tree there.

When they reached the area near the sandalwood tree, Mahadevappa allegedly pushed Shivarudramma into a nearby soak pit, assaulted her and murdered her. He then removed the gold ornaments she was wearing and partially concealed the body with mud and stones, investigators said.

Fake leopard attack angle

In an attempt to divert suspicion, Mahadevappa took Shivarudramma’s slippers and handbag and threw them into her agricultural field.

As Kasuvinahalli and the surrounding areas are known for frequent leopard sightings, he drew fake pug marks in the field to create the impression that Shivarudramma had fallen victim to a wild animal attack.

Police said, the accused deliberately tried to project the disappearance as a case of man-animal conflict and misled both villagers and investigators.

Joined the search operation

After the missing complaint was registered, villagers joined the Police in searching for Shivarudramma. Mahadevappa also participated in the search operation and attempted to strengthen the leopard-attack theory by repeatedly highlighting the presence of leopards                                            in the area.

However, investigators grew suspicious of his conduct and took him into custody for questioning. During interrogation, Mahadevappa confessed to the crime and led the investigating team to the soak pit where he had disposed of the body.

According to the Police, the accused told investigators that he was burdened with heavy debts and had planned the murder to rob Shivarudramma of her gold jewellery and use the proceeds to repay his liabilities.

Police recovered 53 grams of gold jewellery worth over Rs. 7.50 lakh that had been hidden by the accused, Mahadevappa, after the murder.

The body of Shivarudramma was exhumed from the soak pit in the presence of Nanjangud Tahsildar Dr. Smitha Ramu, Superintendent of Police (SP) Mallikarjun Baladandi, Nanjangud Sub-Division Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy.SP) M. Dharmendra and Head Constables Suresh                                            and Raju Gowda.

The body was later shifted to the mortuary of Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI), Mysuru, for post-mortem.