Nejaru murder case: Accused Chowgale remanded in 14 days' judicial custody
Udupi: The Udupi Principal Civil and JMFC Court on Wednesday remanded in judicial custody for 14 days Praveen Chowgale, the man arrested for the murder of four members of a single family at Nejaru here.
The Udupi Police officers, who had presented Chowgale before court on November 15, took the accused into custody for a period of 14 days for further investigation, given the intensity of the case. While the court had instructed that the police present the accused again on November 28, the Udupi Police completed within a week's time the investigation related to the case, including crime scene investigation, witnesses, statements and identity of the accused.
Having completed the investigation, the officers decided that they no longer needed to keep Chowgale in custody and, therefore, presented him before court on Wednesday itself. The accused was brought to court under tight police security, led by Malpe Circle Inspector Manjunath, who was the investigating officer of the case.
Udupi Civil Court judge Deepa remanded Chowgale in judicial custody for 14 days, adding that the accused be presented before the court again on December 5.
The accused arrested was taken back to the Udupi District Prison at Hiriyadka, under heavy police security.
Senior Assistant Public Prosecutor H.M. Nadaf was present in court.
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Four of family found dead in Maharashtra’s Nanded district in suspected mass suicide
Nanded (PTI): A farmer, his wife and their two sons were found dead in two different locations in Maharashtra’s Nanded district on Thursday morning, in what police suspect to be a mass suicide, an official said.
Around 8 am, the bodies of Ramesh Sonaji Lakhe (51) and his wife Radhabai Lakhe (45) were discovered on a cot in their home at Jawala Murar village in Mudkhed tehsil, he said.
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The bodies of their sons, Umesh (25) and Bajrang (23), were subsequently found on nearby railway lines. It appears they jumped in front of a speeding train, the official said.
Police inspector Dattatray Manthale told reporters, “The parents were found dead inside their home, while the sons took their lives on the railway tracks. We have asked a Forensic Science Laboratory team to collect evidence. The truth will come out only after a thorough technical investigation and autopsy.”
While the nature of their death appears to be part of a suicide pact, police said the exact circumstances remain unclear.
The family belonged to the small-scale farming community, but it is not yet confirmed if financial distress or a domestic crisis triggered the extreme step, the official said.
Neighbours described the Lakhes as a hardworking family who struggled against the odds of small-land farming to sustain themselves.
The Nanded rural police are recording statements of relatives and checking for notes or final messages left by the family.
