Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Mar 22: The fourth additional district and sessions court, through a judgement delivered on Tuesday March 21, sentenced a person accused of murdering a bank officer, Anjana K C (24) in 2013. The accused, identified as Atmaram Seetaram More (39), who hails from Khed in Maharashtra, was found guilty and ordered to undergo imprisonment as above.
Anjana, working as assistant manager of a bank at Katipalla, Suratkal, was allegedly murdered in his room by the accused on April 17, 2013. The lady, who belonged to Kerala, had been posted in Katipalla branch of a nationalized bank. She was residing in a rented apartment in Mannagudda here. The accused, who was working in an outlet specializing in fish food located near Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus stand in Bijai, got acquainted with Anjana who frequented this outlet. The accused had introduced himself to her as Mahesh, and the both came close to each other with passage of time. At around 8.30 pm on April 17, 2013, the accused escorted the lady to his room. The house owner who had rented out the room objected, saying that being bachelor's accommodation, girls are not allowed inside. However, the youth reportedly convinced her to allow the girl inside, telling her that the girl was the one with whom his marriage was to take place soon.
Accused - Atmaram Seetaram More
Victim - Anjana K C
Place of murder
Within sometime thereafter, the house owner heard groaning sound from the room. When she went there to look what was happening, the room was covered in darkness. She immediately called her husband, who came and saw that Anjana, around the neck of whom a rope had been fastened, was fighting for breath. Immediately, the lady was shifted to hospital with the help of neighbours, but she succumbed the same day.
As family members of Anjana could not be contacted, a missing report was filed. In course of time, police personnel of Urwa found out her identity and that of the murderer. During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had killed the lady as she declined his marriage proposal.
Atmaram, who was a native of Gunada in Khed taluk of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, had earlier been awarded life imprisonment in a murder case at Nasik. He had killed lady, identified as Rajeshwari, whom he loved, after heated argument between the two when he was working in a cloth store in Mumbai. In 2011. He was held guilty and awarded life imprisonment by the court. However, Atmaram escaped when on parole in 2011. He came to the city and initially worked in a fish food shop before changing the job and joining a bar and restaurant of a hotel at Hampankatta here. The court said that Atmaram will have to undergo life imprisonment in both the cases. After completing the sentence he was awarded with by Maharashtra court, he will have to undergo the sentence imposed by the court here. For accounting the time of imprisonment, the period he was inside jail as an under-trial will not be accounted. Under section 73, Atmaram has been ordered to remain in solitary confinement inside jail for a period of three months.
During the period he was working at Hampankatta, Atmaram had befriended another bank employee of a nationalized bank, who hailed from Punjab. Their friendship continued even after she was transferred to Manipal. Two months after murdering Anjana, Atmaram arrived at Manipal from Ratnagiri on June 24, 2013, to meet this lady. The police, who had advance information about his visit, waited for him and arrested him as soon as he alighted from train in Udupi railway station. Police personnel had found out that after killing Anjana, Atmaram had taken away the lady's ATM card, PAN card and cellphone. He threw away battery of the cellphone, collected pending salary from the hotel he worked for, and went to Mumbai by Mangala express train. He later went to Guwahati for a few days and came back to Maharashtra.
Judge of the said court, Veerabhadraiah Bhavani, who conducted hearing in the court, also imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on the accused. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to remain behind the bars for six more months.
The then Urwa police sub-inspector, Ramachandra Maledevaru, had investigated the case and filed charge sheet in the court. Public prosecutor, Harishchandra Udyavar, had argued the case on behalf of the prosecution.