Kodagu: Five arrested for murder of coffee estate owner
Madikeri: Kodagu police have arrested five men in connection with the murder of coffee estate owner Pradeep Koili, whose body was found at his residence in Kongana village on April 23. Among those arrested is NS Anil, a short film director and actor, who has been identified as the main accused in the case.
Pradeep Koili, a native of Kannur in Kerala, was living alone at his plantation located under the B Shettigeri Gram Panchayat limits. He was found dead at his home last week, allegedly strangled using a nylon rope. The murder, which shocked the local community, triggered an intensive investigation led by a 12-member police team.
Addressing reporters on Saturday, Kodagu Superintendent of Police Ramarajan said that the five arrested individuals have been remanded to judicial custody. The accused have been identified as NS Anil (25) from Mugutageri village, Harish TS (29) from Nalluru village in Ponnampet taluk, Deepak (21) from Abburukatte village, Stefen D'Souza (26) from Nerugalale village, and Karthik HM (27) from Hithalamakki village in Somwarpet taluk.
According to police, Anil, the primary suspect, had been under pressure after a marriage proposal fell through. During the marriage discussions, the prospective bride’s family is said to have expressed reservations about Anil due to his lack of employment and assets. Police believe this setback may have motivated him to plot the murder, allegedly in a bid to acquire wealth quickly.
SP Ramarajan also revealed that Anil had a history of fraud. He had previously duped several residents in Bengaluru, Hassan, and Ponnampet by falsely claiming he could help locate hidden treasure on their properties. Similar fraudulent attempts were also reported in areas like Thithimathi, Konanakatte, and nearby villages.
In the present case, Anil had reportedly approached Pradeep Koili pretending to represent foreign buyers interested in purchasing the estate. He is said to have paid the victim Rs 1 lakh as advance to gain his trust.
CCTV footage from the area showed that the accused had attempted to cover up the crime by burying Koili’s body and trying to destroy surveillance cameras. During the investigation, police recovered Rs 13 lakh allegedly stolen from Koili’s house. They also seized two motorcycles, three mobile phones, and documents related to the estate property.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
