VIJAYAPURA: Chadchan police have arrested 12 accused in connection with the murder of six persons triggered by a land dispute on Friday, Superintendent of Police (SP) Laxman Nimbargi said on Monday.
Nimbargi said the arrested persons include the main accused, Kallanagouda Patil. The accused were traced and the arrests were made near the Karnataka–Maharashtra border after an intensive search operation conducted by special police teams.
According to the police, two of the victims were allegedly shot using a licensed double-barrel gun belonging to Kallanagouda Patil. The weapon has been seized as part of the investigation.
The arrested persons have been identified as Kallanagouda Patil, Layappa Biradar, Mahasiddha Biradar, Mahesh Biradar, Rajkumar Koli, Raju Ugar, Yallappa Arakeri, Subhas Biradar, Revasidda Biradar, Gajanand Biradar, Malakari Koli and Sanju Arakeri. Of them, Kallanagouda Patil, Layappa Biradar and Mahasiddha Biradar. All of them are named in the FIR.
Police produced the accused before the court, and the accused are expected to be taken into police custody for interrogation. Five members of the Nirale family of Chadchana and another person were murdered on May 29. The deceased were identified as Dundappa Nirale, Shivaputra Nirale, Chandrakant Nirale, Samartha Nirale, Rahul Nirale and Shabbir Attar.
Nimbargi said Chadchan police are investigating the case and more persons are suspected to be involved in the crime. Special teams have been deployed to trace and arrest the remaining accused, he said.
