Daijiworld Media Network - Koppal (SP)
Koppal, May 17: In an incident which occurred at Talavagera village in the district on Sunday May 15 night, a man who smothered his pregnant wife to death succeeded in hoodwinking his family members as well as policemen for sometime by acting like dead.
Shivaleela alias Renuka (21) was reportedly murdered by her husband, Hanumantappa Myagaladokki (26), a resident of Lingadalli village. Renuka, who happened to be the second wife of Hanumantappa, was in the fifth month of her pregnancy, and recently baby shower programme had been held. Her parents had taken her to their place for taking care of her health till she delivered a baby.
Hanumantappa visited his in-laws at Tavalagera village with one of his friends on Sunday evening. He behaved normally with everyone. After ensuring that everyone in the family went to sleep, he forced a pillow tight over the face of his pregnant wife and murdered her. In order to escape from the clutches of law, he randomly dropped some gunny bags full of grains stacked nearby on his wife's face and body to look as if the falling bags had caused her death. He then acted like being in deep sleep.
The family members, who heard some sound coming from the room where the couple slept, got up and shouted for Hanumantappa. As the couple did not open the door for a considerable time, they entered the room by removing the built from outside with some instruments. By then Renuka had died, and her husband did not get up even after repeatedly calling him. In the early hours on Monday, family members and elders from the village informed the police about the death of two people in a strange incident.
Even when police reached his home, Hanumantappa continued to lie down by the side of his wife's corpse as if he had died. When sniffer dog was summoned, it took in his scent, barked at him, and bit his lips. Hanumantappa shook a little then. When the policemen lifted him and put him inside their vehicle, he suddenly sat up, eyewitnesses narrated.
Hanumantappa had married Shivaleela alias Renuka from Talavagera last year in a mass marriage function. In the past, he had married the daughter of his elder sister, but his first wife died soon thereafter mysteriously after in a fire accident. Parents of his first wife had taken interest to get him married again.
It is gathered that in the meanwhile, Hanumantappa developed illicit relationship with another woman, and had left his village in the company of that lady for a few months. After the parents of that woman threatened to file police case, he also had volunteered to marry here. But Shivaleela's parents had complained to village elders about this development, after which the elders had held meeting in which they ordered Hanumantappa to register five acres of land and a house he owned in the name of Shivaleela. This had angered him.
Father of the deceased lady, Ramanna Gurikar, told the police that Hanumantappa killed his wife as he felt that he can save his five acres of agricultural land a house if Shivaleena dies. Hanumantappa stands arrested and a case of murder has been registered against him.