Udupi, 7 Aug

A local Congress leader and contractor was shot dead by unidentified assailants in this district on Friday afternoon, police said.

The deceased has been identified as David D'Souza. He was the former president of the Mudarangadi Village Panchayat and owned a bar and a public transport unit, they said.

The incident occurred at Padubidri in Udupi.

He was also convicted in the suicide case of Rev Fr Mahesh, who was an assistant priest in a local church and served a jail term, sources said.

According to police sources, two assailants arrived in a vehicle and opened fire at D'Souza. He sustained severe bullet injuries in the attack. Although people and local authorities immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital, he succumbed to injuries on the way.

Police stated that a multi-angle investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the murder, exploring both personal and business rivalries.