Chitradurga: A gang of
pig thieves brutally murdered three people at Nayakanahatti of Challakere taluk in
Chitradurga district late on Sunday night.
The deceased are Seenappa, 55, his son Yallesha, 22, and his cousin Maresha, 25, all from a pig-rearing
family. The gang attacked the trio when they were fast asleep at a shed housing some 100
pigs on the outskirts of Nayakanahatti.
When the trio put up a strong resistance to the theft of pigs, the gang members allegedly threw chilli powder on their face and also hit them with lethal weapons and stones.
The trio succumbed to injuries that they sustained on their heads. Police have noticed chilli powder on Seenappa’s body and tyre markings of vehicles near the crime spot. The shed is left with only some five pigs, while the others are missing, a family member said.
A week ago, a gang of 8-9 members, which had come in an SUV, had attempted to steal the pigs, Seenappa’s wife said, adding that her husband and son had chased them away then. “We suspect the same gang to be behind the murders,” SP Radhika G said, adding forensic experts and cellphone tracking experts are on the job to trace the culprits.
Police said pig theft cases are on the rise in the region, and they are keeping an eye on pork stalls to trace the thieves.
A case has been booked at Nayakanahatti police station.