KALABURAGI: The district police, who have taken four people into custody in connection with the death of a woman and her son over suspected dowry, are also probing the possibility of the child being killed as a sacrifice to find a treasure. On September 15, the bodies of Gouramma (25) and her one-and-a-half-year-old son were traced to a bush near a pond in Jawali village of Aland taluk. The boy was found beheaded.
Prior to the discovery of the bodies, Gouramma’s husband Krishna had lodged a complaint with Chowk police in Kalaburagi stating that his wife and son were missing. Gouramma’s parents had alleged that Krishna and a few others had killed her and the boy over dowry.
Meanwhile, Gouramma’s parents and a few others expressed their doubt before the police that Krishna and his parents were discussing a plot with someone to kill the boy in order to get a hidden treasure. As Krishna and his family used to torture Gouramma to get more dowry, they were also planning to sacrifice the child to get the treasure. The boy was killed for black magic, villagers told the police.
Kalaburagi SP Shashikumar said it appears that Gouramma was strangled to death. Police also found nails and lemon pasted with turmeric powder and vermilion near the bodies. Shashikumar said Gouramma had gone to her parent’s home at Jawali village about a fortnight ago after a quarrel with her husband. Nimbarga police are investigating the case from all angles.