Published Nov 09, 2022 | 10:56 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 09, 2022 | 10:58 AM
Mysore city police commissioner Chandragupta visiting the spot where the retired IB official was murdered in Mysore on November 4
A long-standing property dispute between neighbours led to the murder of a retired officer, RN Kulkarni, on Friday, 4 November, the Mysuru city police said after arresting two men.
The police identified the accused as Manu, 30, the eldest son of Kulkarni’s neighbour Madappa, and his friend Varun.
Manu’s family had been constructing a house, allegedly encroaching the dead officer’s property, investigators said.
Kulkarni had approached the city corporation against the alleged encroachment, and filed a suit in a local court. He had even lodged a complaint with the jurisdictional Saraswatipuram police after Madappa had gone ahead with the construction.
The police said Manu, enraged over Kulkarni’s opposition to the construction, roped in his friend Varun to eliminate the retired officer.
IB offier (Retd) RN Kulkarni (Supplied).
Varun shadowed Kulkarni to understand his routine, and passed on the information to Manu. The men knew that Kulkarni used to go for an evening walk alone on the Manasa Gangotri campus in Jayalakshmipuram neighbourhood, where the deceased had been living.
Kulkarni left home for his routine walk on Friday, 4 November, evening, oblivious of Manu waiting for him. The younger man allegedly mowed down the retired officer on a narrow road with his car, killing him instantly. He then sped away.
The police initially considered it as an accidental hit-and-run case, but visuals from a CCTV camera installed at a nearby building made investigators suspect murder.
Meanwhile, Kulkarni’s son-in-law lodged a complaint against Madappa and his family, suspecting their role in the murder, on Friday itself.
The Jayalakshmipuram police formed four teams under Assistant Commissioner Shivashankar to investigate the case. “Since the car did not have registration number plates, it was difficult to trace its owner and to confirm with evidence that the said vehicle was used in the crime”, a senior police officer told South First.
“All what we had was the CCTV footage that showed a metallic-grey Honda Accord,” he added.
Further investigation revealed Kulkarni’s dispute with Madappa’s family.
Mysore city police commissioner Chandragupta said that Manu was driving the car on November 4, and he had committed the crime alone.
“Manu’s friend Varun had earlier followed Kulkarni a couple of days before the crime to know his routine” the officer said.
“The longstanding dispute over the construction of a building between the two families appears to be the motive for the murder”, Chandragupta said. “The CCTV footage showed that it was a clear case of murder and not an accidental hit-and-run incident,” the commissioner added.
