Hubballi, Apr 28: A promising Kannada actress and her live-in partner allegedly killed her brother and disposed of the body in a jungle here, for objecting to their relationship, police said.
The young actress was allegedly in a relationship with a small-time realtor, which her brother opposed, the Dharwad Superintendent of Police P Krishnakant said on Tuesday.
"Rakesh was a major hurdle to her love affair.. Hence he was murdered and the body burnt," Krishnakant told reporters.
According to police, a charred and badly mutilated torso packed in a plastic bag was found dumped in the Devaragudihal forest area on April 12.
Subsequently, a case was registered and special teams were formed to nab the culprit.
The teams gathered lots of inputs and finally learnt that Rakesh Katve, a housekeeper in a bar, was missing.
Probe revealed that the victim's sister Shanaya Katve was in a relationship with Niyaz and has been living with him as a paying guest.
Further inquiry in the case led to the arrest of Shanaya Katve, Niyaz, his three friends who have been remanded in police custody.
During interrogation it was found that Niyaz's family members were also involved in the crime.
"Prima facie, it looks like a case of love affair. We have not come across their affiliation to any organisation but our investigations are on," Krishnakant said.
Shanaya has worked in a yet-to-be released film 'Chhota Bombay'.
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Bengaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has told a Beltangady court that the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case was a completely fabricated conspiracy by anti-Dharmasthala activists.
The SIT named six accused in the case, Chinnayya (A1), Mahesh Shetty Timrodi, Girish Mattannanavar, Jayanth, Vitthal Gowda, and Sujatha Bhatt. In its preliminary report, the SIT said Dharmasthala authorities had no role in the allegations and issued them a clean chit, as reported by India Today on Wednesday.
The SIT reportedly said, the first accused, Chinnayya, was paid, pressured and coached to give false statements. A false narrative of “mass burials” was allegedly built to target Dharmasthala, with the accused procuring a skull, staging evidence, and recording coached statements.
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The SIT also stated that conspiracy meetings were held at the residence of Mahesh Shetty Timrodi. Video clips, bank transaction details, electronic records and witness statements have reportedly been recovered as part of the probe. The SIT concluded, in its preliminary report, that the mass burial allegations were fabricated and orchestrated as part of a planned conspiracy.
According to the report, the SIT has now sought court permission to arrest five of the accused. Arrests could take place any moment if approval is granted, and the agency is preparing for custodial interrogation to file its final report.
Reacting to the filing of the charge sheet, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar reportedly said he had already stated in the Assembly that the accusations were part of a conspiracy.
“Some of our own leaders asked me about it. I knew the allegations were not factual and that a conspiracy was underway. But ultimately, the truth has prevailed. Justice has been done,” IT quoted Shivakumar as saying.
Shivakumar said that he had not yet seen the charge sheet and only learned about it through the media. He said the law must take its own course and warned that such conspiracies would damage institutions that had existed for years. As per the report, he also commented on differences between the RSS and the BJP, saying they were “deeply connected to this conspiracy.”
