Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal
Bantwal, Jul 16: In a shocking incident that has sent shockwaves across the region, a young woman was brutally hacked to death with a machete at the Bantwal KSRTC bus stand on Thursday, July 16.
The deceased has been identified as Lavanya (21), daughter of Balappa Gowda, a resident of Kodange near Kakyapadavu. She was employed at a private nursing home in Kalladka.
During the preliminary investigation, the police identified the accused as Chethan (22). He is reportedly a distant relative of the victim and was allegedly tracking her due to one-sided love.
According to preliminary information, Lavanya had boarded a KSRTC bus to head towards Kakyapadavu. Chethan who was waiting inside an i10 car, followed her into the bus. While inside the bus, she had reportedly called a relative over the phone and mentioned that a youth was sitting next to her, after which the call got disconnected. Later, when he pulled out the machete from the bag she got off the bus and started running for her life.
Eyewitnesses stated that once she got down from the bus, Chethan pursued her, pulled out a machete from his bag, and launched a ferocious attack. Although Lavanya desperately tried to run away to save her life, the assailant caught up with her and inflicted fatal blows. The young woman sustained grievous injuries and died on the spot, after which the accused fled from the scene.
A bystander managed to capture the horrifying footage of the accused attacking the woman on a mobile phone. The video has since gone viral on social media and is expected to serve as crucial evidence for the police investigation.
This brutal public murder comes just days after another shocking incident in Manchi of the same taluk, where a minor girl waiting for a bus was stabbed and seriously injured by a youth, leaving the residents of Bantwal deeply concerned over public safety.
Upon receiving the information, senior police officials from the Bantwal sub-division, along with the town police inspector and personnel, rushed to the spot. Dakshina Kannada superintendent of police Arun K also visited the crime scene to review the situation.
Special police teams have been formed to track down and apprehend the absconding accused. A case has been registered, and a manhunt is underway.
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