Mangalore: Life term for murderer who killed friend for his wife

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Apr 6: The third additional district and sessions court here has sentenced a person accused of killing a person in 2011, to life term imprisonment. The motive of murder is said to be the desire to marry the wife of the victim.

As per the case, Mallappa Basappa Aihole (31) had killed Mallesh Mallappa Honnalli (30). Both had come to the city to work as labourers.

Mallappa was grooming a burning desire to marry Neelamma, wife of Mallesh, who used to be his neighbour. Mallesh started working in Mangalore, and Neelamma, unable to bear the repeated advances of Mallappa, came to the city and started residing with her husband. Mallappa also shifted his base to Mangalore and began working as a coolie. He befriended Mallesh here, and started taking him along for binges.

Thereafter, he began pestering Neelamma, by telling her that her husband was a drunkard, and that it would be a good idea for her to desert Mallesh and marry him instead. But Neelamma refused.

Mallappa then planned to eliminate Mallesh. On the night of January 9, 2011, he made Mallesh drink heavily, and then led him to Kasba Bengre. There, he stabbed Mallesh to death with a knife.

The then police inspector of Panambur station, Valentine D’Souza, had registered the case, led the investigation, and filed charge sheet. Judge of the court, P N Desai, who announced the quantum of punishment on April 4, also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the accused, with a stipulation to undergo three more months of rigorous imprisonment in case of failure to pay up the fine.