Tumakuru, Mar 23: Three persons who were found burnt in a car in Tumakuru district hailed from Belthangady Taluk of Mangaluru and they might have been duped on the pretext of 'treasure', police said on Saturday.

Tumakuru Superintendent of Police Ashok K V said the investigation team has got vital clues and soon it will bust the gang behind it.

The bodies were found in a burnt car on a lake bed in Kuchangi village on the outskirts of the district headquarters town of Tumakuru on Friday.

"The victims were from Belthangady Taluk in Mangaluru district in Karnataka. We have got some leads in this case and soon we will crack it," the SP told PTI.

The culprits seem to have duped the trio on the pretext of selling treasure', he added.

ALSO READ: Bodies of 3 men from Belthangady found inside debris of gutted car in Tumakuru, investigations on

The forensic report suggests that they might have been killed elsewhere and their bodies were brought to Tumakuru and burnt.

Other police sources said the accused lured the trio so that they wanted to dispose of the gold ornaments found during a treasure hunt at a throwaway price.

The victims relied on them and reached the place with money. Later, the culprits murdered them, looted their money and burnt their bodies along with the vehicle, they added.

According to the sources, at least six people were involved in the crime.

Get all the latest, breaking news from Karnataka in a single click. CLICK HERE to get all the latest news from Karnataka.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Sambhal (UP) (PTI): Police used tear gas and "minor force" in the face of stone pelting by locals here on Sunday as tension escalated during a second survey of the Mughal-era mosque, claimed to be originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple.

Tension has been seething in Sambhal over the past few days after the Jama Masjid was surveyed last Tuesday on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.

According to the local administration, a second survey by an "Advocate Commissioner" as part of a court-ordered examination into the disputed site began around 7 am and a crowd began gathering at the spot.

"Some miscreants came out of the crowd gathered near the site and pelted stones at the police team. The police used minor force and tear gas to bring the situation under control," Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi said.

He said those who engaged in stone pelting and those who incited them will be identified and action taken against them.

District Magistrate Rajendra Pesia said, "Some miscreants resorted to stone pelting but the situation is peaceful now and the survey is underway."

Videos of youths throwing stones at police, purportedly near the site of the survey in Sambhal have surfaced on the Internet.

Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is also the petitioner in the case, had said the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) ordered the constitution of an "Advocate Commission" to survey the mosque.

The court has said that a report should be filed after conducting a videography and photography survey through the commission, he had said.

The Central and Uttar Pradesh governments, the mosque committee and the district magistrate of Sambhal have been made parties in the petition concerning the mosque, Jain said last Tuesday.

Vishnu Shankar Jain and his father Hari Shankar Jain have represented the Hindu side in many cases related to places of worship, including the Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute.

Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, told PTI on Friday that in his petition filed in the court, he mentioned that "Baburnama" and the "Ain-e-Akbari" has confirmed that a Harihar temple was at the site where the Jama Masjid now stands.

He also claimed that the temple was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.

Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq had objected to the developments.

"The Jama Masjid of Sambhal is historical and very old. The Supreme Court had given the order in 1991 that whatever religious places are there in whatever condition since 1947, they will remain at their places," he had said.

The next date for hearing in this case is January 29.