Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Apr 29: Two police teams had been deputed, one to Mumbai, and another to Ahmedabad, to trace Azhar Afzal Khan alias Ajai Babu, who is facing charges of murdering a 60-year-old woman in a lodge here before escaping. Both the teams have since returned to their base, having failed in their efforts to trace the culprit.

Gangolli native and Mumbai resident, Lalita Devadiga's lifeless body had been found from a lodge here on April 7. Azhar Afzal, who had come with her to the lodge, had escaped, in the guise of buying medicines. The police got information that Azhar had escaped with Lalita's daughter living in Mumbai. Although the policemen hit the trail of the fleeing couple, they failed to find them in Mumbai.

A team policemen, who learnt that the couple had visited Ahmedabad, rushed there and visited a lodge where the two had checked in. As per the CCTV camera records there, the couple had reached the lodge on April 17 and checked out on April 19. Both their cell phones have been switched off since then, which has created hurdle in further investigation.

The police enquiries have revealed that Azhar, who was working in a textiles shop eight years back, had fled after swindling Rs 1.5 lac rupees from there. Lalita Devadiga had about 12 sovereigns of golden neck chain and golden bangles when she came to the lodge. The police have learnt that Azhar removed them and sold them in a Mumbai shop.

In a statement issued by the husband of Shobha alias Vaishavi, daughter of Lalita who has separated from her husband, and Vaishnavi's eldest daughter at the local police station on Monday, they have said that Azhar used to frequent their house since the last eight years.