Woman, lover and gang held for brutal killing

Kalaburagi: In a chilling repeat of the Renukaswamy murder case that shook Karnataka recently, Kalaburagi Police have uncovered a similar horrific crime where a man was allegedly kidnapped and killed by his ex-lover, her current boyfriend and their gang.

The victim, Raghavendra Nayak (39), a resident of Kalaburagi city, was reportedly abducted on March 12 by his former lover Ashwini alias Tanu, her new partner Gururaj and their associates.

According to Police Commissioner Dr. Sharanappa, Raghavendra had previously been in a relationship with Ashwini but the two later separated. Ashwini then began seeing Gururaj. Police say Raghavendra continued to harass Ashwini, which angered Gururaj. The two then allegedly plotted to teach him a “lesson”. On March 12, Ashwini, Gururaj and their gang kidnapped Raghavendra and took him to a cremation ground in Keerthi Nagar. There, in a shocking act of brutality, they allegedly assaulted him, including mutilating his private parts, before killing him. Ashwini herself is said to have participated in the attack to vent her anger.

After the murder, the gang transported the body in a car to Shakti Nagar near Raichur and dumped it into a river to destroy evidence. Raghavendra’s wife had filed a missing person complaint at Kalaburagi Station Bazaar Police Station the same day.

Investigating the kidnap, police unearthed the gruesome truth. So far, Ashwini, Gururaj and another accused, Lakshmikant, have been arrested. Commissioner Sharanappa confirmed that the investigation revealed the kidnap and murder angle during interrogation. The police are now gathering more evidence and questioning the suspects further to trace all those involved in the conspiracy.

The shocking similarities with the Renukaswamy murder — where actor Darshan’s gang kidnapped and murdered a man over alleged obscene messages — have again raised concerns over personal vendettas leading to barbaric acts of violence in Karnataka.