BAGALKOT: In a suspected case of honour killing, a 24-year-old man and an 18-year-old girl were hacked to death by the family members of the girl in Bagalkot. The victims are Vishwanath Nelgi, a daily wage labourer, and Rajeshwari Karadi, both residents of Bevinamatti village near Bagalkot. The incident reportedly occurred on September 30 and came to light after the police launched an investigation after a kidnap complaint was filed by the family members of the deceased girl.
A police officer said, “The man and girl were in a relationship for the past two years. When it came to the knowledge of the girl’s family, they strongly opposed it by saying that the boy belonged to a lower caste. Both families have had an altercation in the past over the issue of caste.” Three persons, Ravi Bevinamatti, Hanumanth Bevinamatti and Beerappa Dalavi, have been arrested in connection with the case.
Girl’s parents involved: Police
Speaking to TNIE, SP Jayaprakash said, “This is a planned murder. The accused have confessed that they killed both the man and girl because of their relationship. The girl’s family members admit that they opposed this relationship as the boy belonged to a lower caste.”
“Parents of Vishwanath’s had sent him to Kasaragod in Kerala in search of a better livelihood, where he started working as a daily wage labourer. Meanwhile, Rajeshwari told her parents that she wanted to marry Vishwanath.”
The girl’s family members laid a trap for Vishwanath by asking him to return home so that they could get married. When Vishwanath reached Naragund, the accused bundled him into a jeep while the girl was brought in another vehicle. Both were murdered in the vehicles, and their bodies were thrown into the Krishna River, the police said. “We are yet to retrieve the bodies from the river. A search operation is on to find the bodies,” said the SP.
When Vishwanath’s parents were unable to contact him for two days, they filed a missing complaint at Naragund Police Station on October 3. The girl’s family had filed a complaint of kidnapping, at Bagalkot Rural Police Station on October 7. Police said Rajeshwari’s parents are involved in killing their own daughter and also in eliminating Vishwanath on September 30.