Udupi: Murder of Taxi Driver - Police Putting Together Loose Ends
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Aug 30: After taxi driver Govardhan's body was found in bushes on Indar-Kodimar Road near Belman on Monday, the police have further intensified their investigations by putting together leads. Some locals, who sighted the body, had passed on information to the policemen. Later, friends and relatives of Govardhan were summoned to the spot.
A number of friends of the deceased driver and young taxi drivers from Padubidri had been searching for Govardhan since the last couple of days, but they had failed locate his body, as none of them moved through Indar-Kodimar road. The way the murder has occurred clearly indicates that it was a well-planned murder.
A tarpaulin, an iron road, and an umbrella were found about 500 metres away from the location of the body. Documents of the car were recovered on Saturday at Adve, about eight km away.
After conducting post mortem at the district Wenlock hospital in Mangalore, Govardhan’s body was handed over to his family members on Monday.
Based on the last call received in Govardhan’s mobile which originated from Koppa, police along with Govardhan’s elder brother, Hemant, had visited Koppa. After the news of locating his brother’s body was conveyed, Hemant returned to identify the body. A team led by Urwa police sub-inspector, Suresh, is already in Bangalore in connection with investigation. The police are making efforts to find if an old incident of heated verbal altercation that ensued between Govardhan and some others, and calls which emanated and went to Koppa from his mobile, which indicate love affair, could have culminated in his murder.
In all likelihood, another car was also used by Govardhan’s killers for their task. It is learnt that those travelling in Govardhan’s car had enquired from zilla panchayat member, Supreet Shetty, about the road to main road of Belman Goddess Durgaparameshwari temple at Kedinje, as it was pitch dark and they could not identify the road. The same enquiry was later repeated to Dinesh Shetty and Dayanand from Belman, who were coming in a motor bike. Dayanand even travelled in the car of the strangers to show them the route. Dayanand confirmed that in addition to Govardhan, there were three passengers in the car, who spoke in Tulu and Kannada languages. Dayanand later got down from the car near Balman church and walked to his home, it is learnt.
The policemen suspect that once Dayanand alighted from the car, the murders killed Govardhan, tossed his body into the bushes, and reached Suzlon main gate. They abandoned Govardhan’s car there, and travelled in another car to Mangalore, the policemen believe. There was imprint of the tyres of another car near the place where Indica car belonging to Goardhan was found. The swelling in the face and jaw bones of Govardhan indicate that he was asphyxiated after assaulting him, the policemen said.
Mangalore deputy commissioner of police, Dharmaiah, Mangalore city assistant commissioner of police, Ravindra Gadadi, Urwa inspector, Ramachandra Maledavar, sub-inspector, Kumareshan, Karkala circle inspector, Vijayaprasad, Karkala rural police sub-inspector, Azmat Ali, and Padubidri station house officer, Mahadeva Setti, visited the spot and guided investigations.
Earlier Report:
Udupi: Missing Driver Govardhan's Body Found at Padubidri-Belman Road
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Aug 29: Three days after he went missing mysteriously from a car which was later found abandoned, the body of Govardhan was found near Padubidri on Karkala-Belman road here on Monday August 29.
It may be recalled that on Thursday August 25, four strangers had hired Govardhan's car from KSRTC bus stand in Mangalore to go to Karkala, but he never returned. However, the car was found abandoned, and there were signs of struggle near it. On Saturday August 27, his purse and registration papers were found near Adve culvert, three kilometres from Padubidri. But all efforts to trace the body in the culvert failed.
On the day he went missing, Govardhan had called his elder brother to say he was on the way to Karkala. But when he did not return, his brother filed a complaint with the police and a search operation began. On Monday, his body was finally near the bushes near Padubidri in a decomposed state.
The body has been shifted Wenlock hosital in Mangalore. Further invesigations are on.
Govardhan, resident of Bejai seventh cross in the city, is unmarried. He is also a pump operator of Mangalore City Corporation, and after discharging duty during the day, had come to the car stand in the evening. He has a family of old parents, a sister, and two brothers.