TUMAKURU: Kodigenahalli police in Madhugiri taluk have arrested four persons in connection with the murder of a dalit man who had tried to steal their goat at Jogenahalli village near Doddamaluru.
The arrested are Ramareddy (60), his sons Nagaraju and Vasantha Reddy and a neighbour Lokesh (40).
They had tied Krishnappa (40) of Mannuru village in Madakashira taluk of Andhra Pradesh to a tree and attacked him with logs in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Krishnappa, along with his three accomplices, had come to their house to steal goats. The accused woke up and caught the victim who was reportedly dragging a goat.
Following the complaint by his elder brother Govindaraju, the police booked the accused under sections 302, 143, 147, 148 and 149. Though the victim hailed from a SC community, the police did not slap the accused with Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
‘‘The complainant had not mentioned the caste and did not insist upon and hence we could not do so,’’ remarked an officer.