VIJAYAPURA: Six persons were brutally murdered in a gun attack allegedly linked to a long standing property dispute at Govindapura village in Chadachan taluk of Vijayapura district on Friday.
Initial reports said the violence erupted over a dispute between two families of the same village.
According to reports, members of the families had gone to the farmland on Friday afternoon to prepare the land for sowing operations. Upon learning about this, members of one of the families arrived at the spot and objected to the other carrying out work on the land.
What reportedly began as a verbal altercation soon escalated into a violent confrontation. The attackers opened fire and also used sharp weapons, killing six people on the spot.
The incident reportedly took place between 3 pm and 4 pm. However, residents of the village, gripped by fear and panic following the attack, allegedly did not immediately inform the police. Police are said to have learnt about the incident nearly an hour later.
The incident shocked the district, particularly people living in the Bhima River basin region, which is notorious for crime. Tension prevailed in Govindapura village following the massacre. Senior police officials rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation. The bodies were later shifted to the District Government Hospital for postmortem examination.
Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi said the police are probing the incident from all angles. A case has been registered at Chadachan Police Station.