New Delhi: Star cricketer Virat Kohli remains the sole Indian in the Forbes list of world's highest-paid athletes with estimated annual earnings of USD 25 million.

However, the Indian captain has dropped 17 spots to be 100th in the rankings. The list is headed by Barcelona and Argentina football superstar Lionel Messi.

According to the Forbes list announced on Tuesday, Kohli's estimated earnings are USD 21 million from endorsements and USD 4 million from salary and winnings, taking his total tally to USD 25 million for the last 12 months.

Ranked 83rd last year, Kohli has climbed down to the 100th and last spot despite an increase of USD 1 million in endorsements.

Messi has dethroned retired boxer Floyd Mayweather as the sports world's highest earner, raking in USD 127 million via salary and endorsement deals.

Messi is now ahead of long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the Juventus and Portugal star who is second with earnings of USD 109 million.

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Bengaluru (PTI): A 46-year-old man allegedly killed a woman lecturer by setting fire to the car with her inside, before dying by suicide; his severed body was found by railway police the next day, police said on Tuesday.

The deceased, identified as Ramanjinappa, a resident of Doddaballapura, was a contract worker in the tahsildar’s office, they said.

Police said the man, who was married and had apparently separated from his wife, was in an illicit relationship with a woman identified as Saroja, whose charred body was found inside a gutted car in an isolated area near the Bashetty Industrial Area in Doddaballapura taluk on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

Saroja was also married and had a son, police said.

According to police, on Saturday, the man allegedly borrowed a car from an acquaintance, claiming he had a medical emergency and needed to visit a hospital.

Citing preliminary investigations, a senior police officer said the man picked up the lecturer from a bus stop in Devanahalli. The two spent a couple of hours driving around Nandi Hills and nearby areas.

Later, they reached a secluded spot in Doddaballapura, where it is suspected that an argument ensued inside the car, following which he allegedly hit her on the head with a hammer, the officer said.

He then set the car on fire, reportedly using petrol, and is believed to have died by suicide thereafter, police said.

Locals who saw the burning car alerted the police and fire department, who rushed to the spot, extinguished the fire, and found the woman’s body completely charred inside the vehicle, the officer added.

His severed body was found near railway tracks in Bidadi by the railway police on Sunday, he said.

The motive and whether the crime was premeditated or impulsive are under investigation, he said.

Saroja’s husband filed a complaint accusing Ramanjinappa of killing her, police said, adding that a detailed investigation is underway to establish the exact sequence of events.