Udupi: In a significant development, the Udupi Police has successfully arrested the accused in the brutal Nejaru murder case from Belagavi’s Kudachi, on Tuesday.

The accused has been identified as Praveen Chowgale (35) a resident of Sangli District in Maharashtra.

Sources indicate that the accused was attempting to flee to Maharashtra or Andhra Pradesh via Kudachi. During his attempted escape, he reportedly switched on his mobile phone at Kudachi, enabling the Udupi Police to trace him, subsequently leading to his arrest.

The accused is being brought back to Udupi from Belagavi. Reportedly, the accused was posted at the security department at the Mangaluru International Airport.

The chilling incident unfolded on Sunday morning when the victims, Hasina (42) and her children Afnan (22), Aynaz (20), and Asim (12), were brutally stabbed to death by the accused. Hasina's mother-in-law, Hajira, was also attacked but survived after locking herself in the toilet.

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Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.

The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.

"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.

Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.

The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."

Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.

"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.

Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.

He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.

"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.