Body of Kalburgi’s killer found?
The recovery of a man’s body in the forests of Khanapur has given a new twist to the sensational murder
Belagavi: Even as investigating officers are struggling to get clues on the killers of rationalist Dr M.M. Kalburgi since he was shot dead on August 30 in Dharwad, the recovery of a man’s body in the forests of Khanapur on October 18 has given a new twist to the sensational murder.
Sources said that the unidentified man’s body resembled the sketches of the suspected killer, Rudragouda Patil, released by the police a few days after Dr Kalburgi's murder.
The body bears two bullet wounds and the shots seem to have been fired from a pointblank range, the police said. The body was buried after preserving the fingerprints, viscera and blood samples of the dead man.
The police officials denied that the dead man resembled Dr Kalburgi’s suspected killer. “But we have sent the samples to the forensic sciences laboratory and will confirm it only after receiving the reports,” the police said.
The sketches of Rudragouda Patil were prepared based on the information provided by Ms Umadevi, Dr Kalburgi’s wife, in September first week. Sources, however, said that the face of the dead man did resemble the sketches of the suspect, Rudragouda Patil, a Sanatana Sanstha member.
They said the body found at Manikwadi in Khanapur forest is that of a man aged about 26 to 27 years and bore bullet wounds in the neck and stomach. The dead was fair complexioned with a height of 5 feet 6 inches. A cartridge and pistol were also recovered from the spot where his body was found.
Some passersby spotted the body and informed the police on October 18. Soon after, the police published the photo and available information on the body in local newspapers, and also distributed pamphlets in some villages around Manikwadi.
Police sources said that a team of CID officials, including DIG Hemant Nimbalkar, will arrive in Belagavi on Thursday to examine the details and conduct further investigation. The government had announced Rs 5 lakh award for people giving information on Dr Kalburgi’s killers. Though the investigating team had questioned a number of people, it had failed to make a breakthrough.