Belagavi, 8 July

A lawyer in Raibag taluk of Belagavi district hired contract killers for Rs 11 lakh and got his colleague in neighbouring Uttara Kannada district murdered a few months ago, police said on Tuesday. After committing the murder in April 2025, the killers burnt the victim’s body by pouring petrol.

Belagavi superintendent of police Bhimashankar Guled said that, acting on the complaint of Rakha Patil, of Savasuddi village in Raibag taluk, a missing complaint was filed on 29 April, 2025.

Rakha in her complaint stated that her husband Santosh Ashok Patil, a lawyer practising in Raibag courts, was kidnapped and she suspected Shivagouda Patil’s role behind it.

The SP formed a special team to investigate the case. The team, first arrested a suspect named Udaykumar Mushannavar, which led to eight more arrests, including Shivagouda Patil, Guled said.

Santosh Patil had filed a property dispute case against Shivagouda Patil in the Raibag court regarding a 1.4-acre agricultural land. Shivagouda Patil hired a contract killers' gang for Rs 14 lakh and paid Rs 11 lakh as advance.

The 10-member gang waylaid advocate Santosh Patil at Savasuddi when he was going to court on 29 April, 2025 and took him to Ganeshgudi in Joida taluk of Uttara Kannada district. They hacked him to death with a sword and burnt his body by pouring petrol, Guled said.