Hosper, 31 Jan

A 24-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his parents and sister in Vijayanagara district and later attempting to mislead investigators by filing a missing persons complaint in Bengaluru, police said on Saturday.

Akshay Kumar, a resident of Kottur, approached the Tilaknagar police station on 29 January, claiming that his father Bhimaraj, mother Jayalakshmi, and sister Amrutha were missing.

Police became suspicious due to discrepancies in his statements, prompting a murder investigation.

During questioning, Kumar confessed to killing his family members on 27 January and claimed he had buried their bodies within the premises of their rented home in Kottur.

A police team subsequently conducted a spot inspection, recovered the bodies, and sent them for post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.

Authorities are probing all angles, including the possibility of a property dispute as a motive.

The family originally hailed from Chitradurga district and had moved several times for work, building a house worth around Rs 1.5 crore in Davangere before relocating to Kottur two years ago.

Further investigation is ongoing.