Murder takes place in front of a tailor shop on Kalidasa Road

Mysore/Mysuru: A 45-year-old rowdy-sheeter was hacked to death in front of a tailor shop on the second cross of Kalidasa Road (K.D. Road) in Vontikoppal here last evening.

The victim has been identified as Chandru alias Chandu. He  was chatting with the tailor in front of Moon Dresswears Tailor shop at around 5 pm, when a gang of five to six members carrying lethal weapons, came in two-wheelers and allegedly attacked him. Even before anybody could react, the gang struck Chandru multiple times on his head and abdomen, left him in a pool of blood and fled from the spot.

Relatives of Chandru,  who were nearby, rushed Chandru to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead by the doctors at the hospital. Old enmity is suspected to be the reason behind the murder.

Chandru was one of the eight accused in the Hunsur double murder case that took place on May 15, 2008 and Devendra alias Devu murder case that occurred near Jodi Maramma Temple in Paduvarahalli on   May 5, 2016.

Chandru was acquitted in both the cases and was released from the jail a few months ago. Since then, Chandru was helping his wife Shilpa in running a fast food joint in Vontikoppal.

A few minutes prior to the incident, Chandru’s wife Shilpa, who runs a fast food joint on Temple Road in Vontikoppal had left for business at 4.30 pm. After seeing off his wife, Chandru sat in front of the tailor shop near his house and was chatting with the tailor.

While Chandru’s house is on the opposite lane of the tailor shop, his relatives live right behind the shop. Meanwhile, Chandru’s aunt invited him for lunch, but the former refused saying he will eat later. Unaware of the fate to befall, Chandru continued to chat with the tailor, only to meet his gory end later.

Assailants raise slogans

According to eyewitness, the assailants who fled from the spot, raised victory slogans ‘Jai, Jai’ in Kannada, before escaping in the narrow lanes adjacent to the road. For a while, the passersby mistook the sloganeering for the ongoing political developments, but they came to know about the reality, only after they heard Chandru’s aunt wailing at the spot, according to a few women.

According to some, there were five miscreants in the gang that attacked Chandru while others said only two among them carried out the attack, while two others stood guard. The reality can be ascertained only after assessing CCTV footages.

Kid inconsolable

Chandru’s wife Shilpa was yet to start her fast food business for the day, when the news of her husband’s murder came as a rude shock.  Emotional scenes were witnessed near Chandru’s house, as his six-year-old son became inconsolable. The tailor,  who is an eyewitness to the incident, became numb due to shock for sometime.

As the brutal murder occurred on the road that witnesses heavy traffic density, an eerie silence prevailed in the locality.

Soon after the incident, V.V. Puram Police rushed to the spot and restricted traffic movement, besides bringing the crowd under control. The bereaved family members, became inconsolable and hundreds of anxious people from the surroundings crowded  the spot.

Learning about the incident, City Police Commissioner B. Ramesh, DCP (Law and Order) M. Muthuraj, DCP (Crime and Traffic) S. Jahnavi, ACP C.K. Ashwathnarayan and Police Officers from various Police Stations visited the spot. They collected information from eyewitnesses and family members of the deceased. The Police have also collected the footages of CCTV cameras from nearby shops.

As a precautionary measure, the Commando Wing of City Armed Reserve (CAR) Police has been deployed at the crime spot.

All in May

Every year in the month of May, a sense of fear hits Paduvarahalli, especially after Rajesh alias Gandhi and Ramesh of the locality, were brutally murdered at a farm house in Hunsur on May 15, 2008. Since then, two more murders — Devendra alias Devu on May 5, 2016 and now Chandru on May 18, 2023, were reported in the same months, adduce at the fact that all is not well in May month, especially in this locality.