HAVERI, 10 OCT

Rattihalli police in Haveri have arrested four men accused of allegedly murdering a 40-year-old farmer to seize his 12-acre farmland and claim insurance benefits after his death.

The incident took place on 27 September when the four accused — Raghavendra Malagondar, Siddanagouda Karegowdr, Praveen, and Malatesh — allegedly gave the victim, Basavaraj Puttannavar, alcohol and got him drunk, later made him sit on the road where they ran him over with a car at about 80 km/h speed to make it seem like an accident. The victim died on the spot.

The victim’s body was found later that day, and a complaint was lodged by the victim's relative. 

The initial investigation claimed his death as a case of hit-and-run. But as the investigators examined the evidence, they discovered the accident to be a staged murder. “Our investigation proved it was a planned murder,” Superintendent of Police Yashoda Ontigudi told reporters. She said the accused befriended Basavaraj and often supplied him with alcohol.

Police revealed that before the murder, the accused had taken the intoxicated victim to the sub-registrar’s office, where they transferred portions of his land into their names.  The accused later purchased an accident insurance policy under the victim's name and listed Malagondar’s name as the nominee.