Temple priest, 5 aides arrested for killing bridegroom to avert wedding

[email protected] (CD Network)
May 5, 2017

Mangaluru, May 5: Dakshina Kannada district police have solved a blind murder case within four days and arrested six persons including a married temple priest, who hatched the murder plan to avert the wedding of a woman, whom he loved without her knowledge.

dharmasthala

The arrests were made on Thursday, four days after the charred remains of a body was found at Avekki on the Dharmasthala-Patrame Road on April 30. The police were completely clueless about the identity of deceased when they found the burnt body.

The arrested accused have been identified as Ananda (30), the priest of Shree Adhishakti Mahamayi Temple, Belthangady; Praveen Naik, resident of Church Road, Belthangady; Vinay Bangera (30), resident of Charmadi Village; Lokesh Moolya, resident of Pudu village; Prakash (31), resident of Moodukodi village and Nagaraj (39), resident of Melanthabettu. Police have not revealed whether the accused belong to any saffron outfit.

According to sources, a belt buckle found on the body, finally gave the investigating team a good enough lead through which they traced the murder accused and the identity of the deceased.

Temple priest kills Hindu youth

Soon the police came to know the victim was Suresh (30), resident of Belthangady, who went missing on the eve of his wedding. With the help of material evidence found at the spot, the body was identified as that of Suresh's by his uncle Sanjeeva Naik, who had filed a missing complainant about the victim's disappearance.

Police, who kept a watch on complainant Sanjeeva Naik's movements as he too was on under suspicion, arrested Vinay Bangera thanks to some evidence of his involvement in Suresh's disappearance.

During interrogation he spilled beans about Suresh's murder. Based on his confession, the priest and other accused were arrested.

According to police the temple priest, father of two children was in love with a girl, who was getting married to victim. However, it was a said to be one sided love.

Superintended of police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, told media persons that the temple priest wanted to avert the wedding of the girl whom he loved at any cost. So he, called all his associates, and hatched a plot to kill the bridegroom Suresh.

The accused called Suresh a day before his wedding and asked him to come along with them to get information about a government scheme - Ganga Kalyana Yojana. When Suresh arrived at the pre-designated spot, the accused took him to remote place in a four-wheeler. They threatened him to forego his marriage plans with the girl. When Suresh refused, they strangled him with help of a nylon rope. The accused later took body near Avakki, wrapped it with a gunny sack and burnt body using petrol.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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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.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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