How Karnataka Police uncovered a ‘hit-and-run’ murder plot in Vijayapura

A woman who approached the police claiming her husband was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Karnataka’s Vijayapura was arrested along with her lover and his acquaintance for allegedly conspiring to murder him and stage his death as a road accident, the police said on Monday.

The police have also detained a minor boy who was involved in the crime.

Rajashekhar Biradar, 42, a resident of Ekata Nagar, was killed between 5 am and 5.30 am on October 4 while he was out on his routine morning walk on the road connecting Vijayapura Ring Road to Jumnal, the police said.

According to the police, the speed of the vehicle and the presence of a man following Biradar before the accident raised suspicions about the circumstances of his death. “When we checked the CCTV footage, there was no reason for a vehicle to be driven at such high speed on that stretch of road at that time. This raised our suspicion and prompted us to investigate the case further,” Laxman Nimbargi, Superintendent of Police, Vijayapura, told The Indian Express.

The police arrested Ashwini, 30, the victim’s wife, Anand Rautappa Kallur, 25, and Sachin Parashuram Badalli, 24, for the murder of Biradar.

After the accident, Ashwini subsequently approached the Traffic Police Station, claiming an unidentified vehicle had knocked down her husband.

The police initially registered a case for rash and negligent driving and for causing death not amounting to culpable homicide, and under the Motor Vehicles Act. However, the circumstances of the incident prompted the SP to hand over further investigation to City Deputy Superintendent of Police Nagaraj G.

Wife planned the murder

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During the investigation, the police detained Anand, a painter who had worked at the couple’s house, for questioning. His account reportedly differed from Ashwini’s statement, prompting the police to probe the case further. The investigation allegedly revealed a conspiracy to murder Biradar and make his death appear as a road accident.

According to the police, Biradar and Ashwini had been married for 10 years and have six-year-old twin sons. “About seven months ago, the couple built a new house and hired Anand to paint it. During the work, Ashwini and Anand became acquainted and developed a relationship. Ashwini allegedly expressed her desire to marry Anand, who told her he was single despite being married,” said an officer. She then allegedly hatched a plot to kill her husband so that she and Anand could marry and live together. Anand agreed to the plan and sought help from his acquaintance, Sachin, who also works as a painter, and a minor boy to carry it out.

On October 4, when Biradar left for his morning walk, Ashwini allegedly alerted Anand, who followed her husband on a two-wheeler and relayed his location to Sachin and the minor boy.

The two allegedly arrived in a black Mahindra Scorpio SUV without a registration plate and rammed into Biradar from behind on Jumnal Road, killing him on the spot, the police said. After the incident, the accused allegedly parked the vehicle at Jumnal and went about their lives, believing the death would be treated as a hit-and-run.

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During the investigation, the police questioned Anand and compared his account with Ashwini’s statements, which allegedly helped them uncover the conspiracy. The police subsequently registered a murder case and nabbed all four accused. They have been remanded to judicial custody, and further investigation is underway.