PhD scholar kills girlfriend; createsDrishyam' model alibi to keep cops away

October 19, 2016

Hubballi, Oct 19: The brutal murder of a 23-year-old woman, which shook Hubballi on May 30, 2015, was committed by none other than her boyfriend who took inspiration from Kannada thrillerDrishya'(remake of Malayalam film Drishyam, starring Mohanlal) to create an alibi and evade arrest for more than a year, police have said.

alibi
Arun Shivalingappa Patil, 24, now pursuing PhD in agriculture, had decided to murder his girlfriend, Arpita Girimalla Biradar, as she kept pestering him to marry her. The couple had met while studying BSc (Agriculture) in Vijayapura and fallen in love. After graduation, Patil moved on and relocated to Bengaluru to pursue MSc at the University of Agricultural Sciences.

Arpita enrolled at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, and shared a hostel room with a friend. She remained committed to the relationship. She often asked Patil about their marriage. When he didn't commit, she threatened to take up the matter with his parents. He got upset and decided to eliminate her. He devised a murder plot by taking inspiration from V Ravichandran-starrerDrishya'. In the film, the protagonist creates cast-iron alibi to save his family from being prosecuted for murder.

Before departing for Hubballi, Patil left his mobile phone at his hostel room to prove his presence in Bengaluru. He also managed to mark attendance in absentia. Once in Hubballi, he called the victim by landline and asked her to meet him near Gabbur Cross on the outskirts of the city. When the victim turned up for the meeting, Patil strangled her. Police later found her body in a farm field adjacent to a service road that runs parallel to National Highway 4 near Gabbur Cross.

Cracking the case proved a challenge for the jurisdictional Kasbapeth police as the suspect didn't use a mobile phone. But they found sufficient clues to suspect that it was a carefully planned murder. They strongly suspected Patil and went after him. But he had left behind few trails. They interrogated him. Sifting through his belongings, they stumbled upon a diary which gave away some clues about the murder.

Subjected to intense interrogation, Patil confessed to the crime, Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Panduranga Rane told a press conference on Tuesday. The commissioner said the police team which solved the case would be suitably rewarded.

Comments

shaji
 - 
Wednesday, 19 Oct 2016

I appreciate and salute the police team who managed to arrest the real killer. I wish same treatment should be given to him as he may try same thing again if he let free. This is a lesson to people who fell in love. Girls, you should note that 90 percent of love marriages end up in divorce or murder. Why dont u follow the old habits or arranged marriage which are safe. Love marriage and live together without marriage is western culture which has no value. Dont follow mad western people who have no sense. They live like animal. In my opinion animals are better than these so called most civilized people.

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.