Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Apr 22: The Suratkal police claimed breakthrough relating to a case in which S Sumathi Prabhu (68), living alone in Vidyanagar near Koddabbu Daivasthana on Green Pitch Road in Kulai-Hosabettu, was murdered, with the arrest of three persons of north Indian origin. Reportedly, the killers had murdered the victim for robbing her gold jewellery.
Sumathi Prabhu, wife of the late S Damodar Prabhu, who was a city corporation contractor, had been slain on February 8 this year. Reportedly, Sumathi, who was in a state of depression since her husband passed away nearly three years back, used to live alone, and wear whatever jewellery she had, when going out. She refused to live with any of her three children, all of whom are married and settled, even though they had repeatedly invited her to live with them. She maintained good relationship with her children and neighbours, but her interest in wearing all the jewellery during her outdoor visits proved to be her undoing.
Shivaram (30) and Bahaddur Singh alias Bahaddur alias Bhayya (22), both of whom hail from Kapur Maluka Dattaka in Bayana taluk, Bharatpur district, Rajsthan, and Shahnawaz (22) belonging to Amroha district in Uttar Pradesh, have been arrested in this connection. The policemen zeroed in on the criminals on the basis of a telephonic call made by Sumathi Prabhu to her daughter-in-law on the day of her murder to inform her that some new tenants were due to occupy the rented accommodation in her residence that day. The policemen, who had been initially clueless about the killers, grew suspicious about Shivaram, while gathering information about all those who lived in the past in this rented accommodation. During Shivaram’s interrogation, they came to know about the role of other youngsters in the crime. Reportedly, Shivaram had lived as a tenant of Sumathi for about seven years, and he used to request her daughters-in-law to teach him Kannada. Shivaram eked out a living by doing marble fixing job, and roped in services of his friend and neighbor from Rajsthan, Bahaddur Singh, who was also facing financial problems. He befriended Shahnawaz, who runs a salon in State Bank area in the city, and all the three then drew up plans to rob jewellery belonging to Sumathi, it is learnt.
On February 8, they visited Sumathi in the guise of making advance payment for occupying the house on rent. Seeing the door open, they entered the house, and threatened Sumathi, who was watching television, to part with her jewellery. When she raised an alarm, she was pushed on to the floor, and stabbed with a knife found in the kitchen by Shannawaz. Shanhawaz then removed 30 sovereigns of jewellery she was wearing, with the help of the knife. Before fleeing, Bahaddur and Shivaram slit the throat of Sumathi, who was still wailing. Both Bahaddur and Shahnawaz returned to their native places the next day, while Shivaram went back after a gap of ten days, the accused explained to the police.
The accused said some of the jewellery items had been sold by them while travelling in train to their native places. They have returned remaining jewellery items to the police.
The case was cracked by Rajendra of criminal intelligence department, station house officer, Nataraj, deputy commissioner of police, Jagadish, and assistant commissioner of police, Ravikumar, under the guidance of police commissioner,. Hitendra.