YELLAPUR (UTTARA KANNADA): The Yellapur Police have arrested three persons in connection with a murder that they tried to pass off as an accident. This is the second such incident in Uttara Kannada this year.
The incident at Arbail Ghat, where a car was found completely burnt with the driver charred beyond recognition, turned out to be a case of murder. Three were arrested for allegedly killing their friend.
On April 8 2026, people reported a car on fire in the Arbail Ghats. It was initially believed that the driver had lost control, causing the vehicle to fall off a cliff and catch fire.
A couple of days later, a person from Belagavi, Jaganath Dhaple, approached the Yellapur Police and stated that the car belonged to his son, Nitish Dhaple. However, he could not identify the charred body.
But the incident raised suspicions, as Jaganath expressed doubts over the circumstances of his son’s death.
A special team was formed by Sirsi DySP Geetha Patil, and zeroed in on three suspects — Nayeem Bhashir, Ahmed Mujawar Heggeri, and Maulana Babajan Bada alias Dadapeer Mehboob Sab Balsanghi — who were arrested. The trio allegedly murdered Nitish over a personal grudge.
The deceased were Manjunath Veerabhadra Hasler and his younger brother, Chandrashekar Veerabhadra Hasler.They were allegedly poisoned under the pretext of being offered drinks, killed, and the incident was staged to look like an accident.