Pramesh S Jain
The Bagalagunte police have cracked the murder of a 45-year-old man whose decomposed body was found inside a rented house, arresting three persons including a small-time actress.
The accused have been identified as Bindu,her alleged lover Vinay,a truck driver and his associate Dhanush.
The victim,Mohan Rao who was reportedly engaged in small-time finance business,was living in a live-in relationship with Bindu after separating from his wife.
Bindu too was staying away from her husband.
Police said Bindu had acted in minor roles in Kannada films such as Bhajarangi,Police Quarters and Kalabhairava.
Two months ago,Bindu and Mohan Rao had rented a house in Manjunathnagar .
However,they had not executed a formal rental agreement as they had indicated they would vacate within a month.Neighbours reportedly noticed that the house was often kept locked.
On February 28,a foul smell emanating from the house prompted the landlord,Nataraj,to alert police.Upon inspection,officers found Mohan Rao’s body in a decomposed state.
During investigation,police tracked the accused through mobile location data and call detail records.
Interrogation revealed that Bindu had developed a relationship with Vinay while living with Mohan Rao as Vinay proposed to marry her.However Mohan Rao started objecting to Vinay’s proximity with Bindu.
The duo allegedly conspired to eliminate him,fearing he would come in the way of their marriage plans.
According to police,on the night of February 18,the four —Mohan Rao,Bindu,Vinay and Dhanush had consumed alcohol at the house.
During the party,an altercation broke out after Mohan allegedly misbehaved with Bindu.Enraged,Vinay is said to have stabbed Mohan with a knife.When the victim screamed, the trio allegedly gagged him with tape and smothered him to death.
The accused then locked the house and fled.The crime came to light days later when the landlord sensed a foul smell and informed police.
Based on technical evidence and sustained interrogation,Bagalagunte police arrested the three accused and are continuing further investigation into the case.
