Nejaru murder case: Chargesheet filed in murder of air hostess and her family
Udupi, Feb 12: The Udupi police on Monday filed the chargesheet in the sensational case of the murder of a young air hostess and her family members, before a judicial magistrate's court near here.
Police said the investigation into the case has been completed and the chargesheet was filed by the investigation team within the stipulated period of 90 days.
The case pertains to the murder of four members of a family who were stabbed inside their house at Nejaru in Udupi on November 12 last year, allegedly by the sole accused in the case, Praveen Arun Chowgule.
Chowgule, who was employed as a member of the cabin crew of a private airline company, had targeted one of the victims, Aynaz Mohammed (21), a trainee air hostess, who had earlier worked with him.
Police cited his "possessiveness" and "problems in their relationship" as his motives for allegedly attacking her.
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Aynaz's mother Haseena (47), elder sister Afnan (23) and brother Aseem (14) were the other victims.
Police said that they were in the house when Chowgule came to attack Aynaz and were also allegedly stabbed to death by the accused. Haseena's mother-in-law, Hakira, was also attacked, but survived after locking herself in the toilet.
Chowgule was arrested two days after the crime and has been in judicial custody since then.
The court had earlier rejected his bail petition, and a recent application for parole to attend the last rites of his brother who passed away early this month.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
