Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, May 19: After two brothers staying in a rented house of a residential complex at Karmala in Bannur village here fought with each other in a drunken state, one of them was savagely murdered by the other. The incident took place on the night of Sunday May 17.

For the people living in the neighbourhood, it was a routine scene to watch the brothers getting drunk and then fight with each other. Ranganath and Somanath, both belonging to families from Chitradurga district, fought on a trivial issue on this fateful day, following which, Somanath killed his elder brother in a fit of rage by repeatedly piercing his head with a screw driver. The brothers had made the town their home since the last two decades.

It is gathered that Somanath works as warden of backward classes students hostel at Brahmavar in Udupi district, while Ranganath was employed in a oil mill here till recently, but lost his job because of his dependence on liquor. They were away from family, and had come to the town when their father worked here as postal inspector about 25 years back. They had their schooling here.

It is learnt that Somanath stuck a screw driver into his elder brother's head five times, which proved fatal. Although Ranganath died of excessive bleeding, Somanath was not aware about the former's death till Monday morning. On Monday, his mind became clear, after which his brother who had collapsed in a pool of blood came into his view.

Somanath started wailing, at which, owner of the premises, Issac, came there, and called town police station. The police arrived thereafter and arrested Somanath. A forensic science team from K S Hedge Medical College Deralakatte visited the spot. Postmortem also is being held in the forensic laboratory of this college.

Dakshina Kannada superintendent of police, Dr S D Sharanappa, and deputy superintendent of police, N G Bhaskar Rai, visited the spot. Town police inspector here, Mahesh Prasad, has undertaken investigation.