Mysore/Mysuru: A businessman has been arrested in Gandasi Police Station limits of Arasikere taluk in Hassan district for orchestrating the murder of his lookalike to claim Rs. 2 crore insurance money by staging his own death as an accident.

To claim the money, he had killed his lookalike. Police are now searching for other individuals involved in the case, including the businessman’s wife.

On Aug. 13, a man’s body was discovered near Gollarahosalli Gate close to Gandasi. The Gandasi Police seized both a car and a lorry found at the scene and sent the body for post-mortem.

False identification

The deceased was initially identified through an Aadhaar card and driving licence as Munishwamy Gowda of Hoskote. His wife confirmed the identification at the Police Station and the body was later buried in Chikkakoliga village with a tombstone bearing Munishwamy’s name. A relative of Munishwamy, a Police Inspector at Sidlaghatta, even attended the last rites.

Munishwamy Gowda, who owned a tyre store in Hoskote, had accumulated significant debts. To clear them, he devised a scheme to claim Rs. 2 crore in insurance money. He and his wife found a lookalike, befriended him, and planned to have him killed to pass off the death as Munishwamy’s, according to Hassan Superintendent of Police Mohammed Sujeetha.

Accident on Aug. 12

On Aug. 12, Munishwamy Gowda invited his lookalike to Sidlaghatta and instructed a lorry driver to follow their car. When they reached Gollarahosalli Gate, Munishwamy claimed that a tyre was punctured and parked the car by the roadside. He then asked his lookalike to assist with the tyre change and signalled the lorry driver, who was stationed at a distance.

As the lorry approached the car, Munishwamy tied a rope around the lookalike’s neck, threw him onto the road, and let the lorry run over him. The lorry then collided with the car to simulate an accident, and Munishwamy fled the scene, the SP said.

However, the Police noticed ligature marks on the deceased’s neck and grew suspicious. Further investigation revealed that the death was a murder rather than an accident. Previously, the Police had visited Munishwamy’s house and recorded his wife’s statement (later discovered as false) claiming her husband’s death. By that time, Munishwamy Gowda had gone into hiding.

Spotted by alert Inspector

Recently, Police Inspector at Sidlaghatta, who had attended Munishwamy Gowda’s funeral, spotted Munishwamy, who was thought to be dead, roaming around.

Shocked by this, Sidlaghatta Inspector questioned Munishwamy who confessed to staging the accident and he told the Inspector that he had killed his lookalike to claim insurance money.

The Inspector then contacted the Gandasi Police, who arrested Munishwamy. However, when they arrived at Munishwamy’s house in Hoskote, his wife, Shilpa Rani, had already fled. The Police have arrested five individuals, including Munishwamy Gowda, in connection with the murder and are working to identify the deceased man. They are also searching for Shilpa Rani.