Karnataka: Murder accused held, pistol seized

DAVANAGERE: Basavapatna police in Channagiri taluk of Davanagere district, led by DSP Prashanth G Munnolli, have arrested a murder accused. A pistol and five live bullets have been recovered from him. SP Hanumantharaya on Thursday told reporters that the accused, Chethan, and his accomplices had murdered Chandra Naik at a hillock near Sulekere Lake, using the pistol.
The SP said the accused had stolen the weapon from a house in Vidyagiri Extension in Dharwad.Chethan had borrowed Rs 1.7 lakh from Naik, but did not return the same despite repeated reminders. It is said that Naik threatened that he would reveal the criminal deeds of Chethan to police and villagers if he did not pay back his money.
Fearing the same, Chethan plotted to murder Naik with some friends, and asked him to come to a spot near the lake on July 10. When he did, Chethan shot him dead and fled. In this connection, a murder case was booked at Basavapatna police station, and a special team was formed to crack the case.