• Accused arrested after one year
• Udayagiri-Vijayapura Rural Police crack crime that occurred on Mar. 13, 2023
• Woman and son had been to Vijayapura to start a new life with Facebook friend but never returned

Mysore/Mysuru: In a coordinated effort, the Mysuru city Police and the Vijayapura Rural Police have solved a murder case where a woman and her son were murdered at a lodge in Vijayapura in March 2023. The year-old case was cracked and two persons have been arrested.

The murder angle first emerged when the Udayagiri Police circulated a missing person report to all Police stations in Karnataka, detailing the disappearance of 36-year-old D.S. Shruthi and her 11-year-old son Rohan, residents of    Sathagalli in Mysuru.

Upon cross-referencing the information, the Vijayapura Police realised that they had recovered the bodies of a woman and a boy from a well in March last year. Through inquiry and joint efforts by the Udayagiri and Vijayapura Rural Police, the murder mystery, which had remained unresolved for over a year, was finally pieced together. Five days back, the Vijayapura Rural Police arrested 29-year-old Sagar Nayak Lamani and his accomplice, 28-year-old Laxmikant Kumbar, both residents of Sai Park in Vijayapura. Subsequently, they confessed to their involvement in the crime.

Befriending on Facebook

According to Vijayapura SP Rishikesh Sonawane, Sagar had initially befriended Shruthi on Facebook. However, suspicion regarding her character led Sagar to invite her to Vijayapura, arranging accommodation for her and her son Rohan at Four Way Lodge on Sindagi Road.

During their stay at the lodge, a heated argument erupted between the couple over a trivial matter. In a  fit of rage, Sagar strangulated Shruthi with a belt. Tragically, as Rohan witnessed the murder, Sagar made the decision also to end the young boy’s life.

Subsequently, with the assistance of Laxmikant Kumbar, Sagar disposed of the victims’ bodies by stuffing them into two bags and discarding them in a well located in Siddhapur, Tikota taluk in Vijayapura, near the border with Maharashtra, the SP said.

Accused stayed in Mysuru

According to the Police investigation, Sagar Nayak Lamani had been residing in Mysuru for a period of time doing odd jobs and selling pani puri on streets and had initially connected with Shruthi on Facebook. Their acquaintance gradually blossomed into a romantic relationship and became intimately involved.

However, cracks began to surface in their relationship as Lamani grew suspicious of Shruthi’s interactions with others. Eventually, Lamani returned to Vijayapura but maintained communication with Shruthi online.

As Shruthi was pestering him to marry her, Sagar Lamani extended an invitation for her to visit Vijayapura. Consequently, on March 13, 2023, Shruthi travelled to Vijayapura along with her son with dreams of marriage and settling down in Vijayapura along with Rohan. 

Lamani had arranged accommodation for them at the lodge on Sindagi Road, where they stayed during their visit. Lamani frequently visited the lodge, and it was during one such visit that a heated altercation ensued between him and Shruthi, ultimately resulting in the double murder. 

Unsolved case

After the murder, Sagar Lamani and Laxmikant Kumbar packed Shruthi’s body in the luggage bag that she carried from Mysuru and packed Rohan’s body in another bag after emptying the bag’s contents in a canal. They dumped the bags in the well at Siddhapura after carrying the bodies in an SUV.  

The bags containing their remains were discovered floating in the well on Mar. 19, 2023. Despite the bodies being highly decomposed and unidentifiable, the Tikota Police initiated an investigation. However, due to insufficient evidence, the case remained unsolved. 

Missing person complaint

 In February of this year, family members of Shruthi filed a missing person report at the Udayagiri Police Station. Promptly, the Police disseminated this information to all Police Stations and the Udayagiri Police enquired about unidentified dead bodies in Vijayapura. 

Upon noticing striking similarities between this missing person case and the double murder in Vijayapura, the Udayagiri Police reached out to the Vijayapura Rural Police to verify the details. Subsequently, it was confirmed that the items listed as missing from Mysuru, as reported in the missing person complaint, were discovered in Vijayapura, along with the bodies of the woman and the boy. 

This revelation further solidified the connection between the two cases and the victims were identified. Subsequently, Shruthi’s relatives identified the bodies and the belongings. Later, tracking the call record details (CDR), the Vijayapura Police zeroed in on Sagar Lamani who confessed to the crime during intense interrogation and revealed the name of his accomplice.