HUBBALLI: Hubballi Rural police have arrested actor Shanaya Katwe in connection with the murder of a 32-year-old man here. Rakesh Katwe was murdered, and his decapitated head was found in the Devaragudihal forest area, while his remaining body parts were disposed of across Gadag Road and other areas in Hubballi recently.
Acting on the case, Dharwad district police formed some teams, which arrested four suspects - Niyazahemed Katigar (21), Tousif Channapur (21), Altaf Mulla (24), and Aman Giraniwale (19) - from the city. Later, the police nabbed three other suspects.
Through the course of the investigation, police learnt that the murder was linked to the victim’s own sister, Shanaya’s love affair. Shanaya, who is a model and film actor, was in love with accused Katigar, which was opposed by Rakesh. Therefore, Katigar allegedly plotted to kill him.
On April 9, Shanaya visited Hubballi to promote an upcoming movie. On the same day, the murder took place in their house. Rakesh was strangled to death. A day later, Katigar and his friends chopped the body, and dumped the pieces across various places in and around the city. Accordingly, Shanaya was arrested on Thursday, and sent to judicial custody.