Yadgir: Yadgir police have arrested a man in Bengaluru in connection with the alleged murder of a 48-year-old jogathi woman whose charred body was found in a forest area last month.
The deceased was identified as Shantamma, a resident of Nalwar village in Chittapur taluk of Kalaburagi district. The accused, identified as Suresh, is a resident of Halkatta village.
The case came to light on September 24 when a forest watchman spotted a badly burnt body while patrolling the forest area near Bachwar village in Yadgir taluk. The watchman alerted local residents and Yadgir Rural police.
Senior police officers, including Yadgir Superintendent of Police Prithvik Shankar, visited the spot and examined the remains. As the body had been extensively burnt and the identity of the deceased could not initially be established, police registered a suo motu case and collected articles found near the scene.
After the post-mortem examination, the remains were cremated in the forest. Subsequently, SP Prithvik Shankar formed a special investigation team headed by Yadgir Circle Inspector Nanagouda to identify the victim and trace the person allegedly responsible.
Investigators checked missing-person complaints across Yadgir district but initially found no matching report. They later checked records in neighbouring Kalaburagi district and found a missing complaint filed at Wadi police station concerning Shantamma.
A bangle recovered from the crime scene proved crucial in establishing her identity. When police showed the bangle to Shantamma’s family, her son Devappa reportedly identified it as belonging to his mother.
Police then examined Shantamma’s call records and found that Suresh was reportedly the last person known to have contacted her. Investigators traced him to Bengaluru, where he was detained for questioning.
According to police, Shantamma had been living separately from her husband and earned a livelihood through begging. She had reportedly become acquainted with Suresh around five months before the incident, and the relationship later became intimate.
Investigators allege that Shantamma had helped Suresh obtain a loan of Rs 1 lakh from another person. Police suspect that she later began demanding repayment and allegedly pressured him to marry her.
According to the investigation, Suresh allegedly took Shantamma on a motorcycle to Jalalpur near the Karnataka-Telangana border on September 20. Police allege that he made her consume liquor before taking her to the Bachwar forest.
Investigators suspect that after Shantamma became unconscious, Suresh allegedly strangled her. Police further allege that he poured petrol and liquor over the body and set it on fire before fleeing to Bengaluru.
Yadgir Rural police arrested Suresh in connection with the case. He has been remanded in judicial custody, while the investigation is continuing.
