Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Aug 13: Astrologer Niranjan Bhat, who has been accused of being close to
Rajeshwari, wife of slain entrepreneur, Bhaskar Shetty, was produced before the magistrate here at 11 pm on Friday August 12, upon which he was remanded to police custody till August 16. The police hope to extract additional details about the case from him.

Niranjan Bhat

Bhat's house at Nandalike

Bhaskar Shetty's house at Indrali

Rajeshwari and Navaneet at court on August 12

Srinivas Bhat and Raghavendra  at court on August 11

In the meanwhile, the police reportedly have found out during their questioning that a temporary Homakunda had been created for the specific purpose of consigning mortal remains of Shetty to flames. After the body was brought to a vacant hall in the backyard of Niranjan Bhat's house at Nandalike, it was kept on the western side of the hall where Homa procedures were usually conducted. Later, Niranjan Bhat laid out tiles in a vacant spot to where the body was shifted. Thereafter, bricks were stacked around the body. To see that the body got incinerated fast, several combustible items were added to fire. After the body turned to ashes, the ashes and other items were loaded into gunny bags and thrown into rivulet, it has been found.

After investigation was handed over to Dr Sumana D P, assistant superintendent of police at Karkala, there has been faster progress in investigation. At present, Rajeshwari Shetty, Navaneeth Shetty, Niranjan Bhat, Bhat's father, Srinivas Bhat, and car driver, Raghavendra, have been made accused and taken into custody. Phone calls made and received from the cellphone of Rajeshwari are being scrutinized now, and more arrests are likely soon, it is said.

The accused, during questioning, had claimed that the Homakunda was repaired recently as it was damaged. Srinivas Bhat, who swore before the media persons that his son was noble and that he himself was totally innocent in the case, appeared to have lied. Because, as per police sources, there was never a Homakunda at the spot where the body was burnt. To derail the investigation a small Homakunda was built there after Shetty's body was disposed off. When burning the body, it was done on flat surface not in the Homakunda pit visible now. As the tiles had turned black due to fire, they were replaced with other tiles and a new Homakunda was built with the help of mason, policemen claim.

Police questioning has brought to light that insecticide and poison used for Bhaskar Shetty's murder were bought from Katapadi, native place of Shetty. It is learnt that Navaneeth Shetty divulged during his interrogation that he had bought the things needed from Kapatapadi. He was led on Friday to a shop in Katapadi from where he had made the purchases. Locals said that the policemen had to go back without being able to get details as the owner of the shop was not available during their visit.

It may be recalled that Bhaskar Shetty, a successful entrepreneur at Udupi and Saudi Arabia, belonged to Sarakarigudde near Katapadi.

For helping the investigation, a search team headed by investigating officer, Sumana, has been formed with inspector, Sampath, and other staff. For collecting scientific evidences for forensic tests, a DNA expert has come from Bengaluru for helping the investigation, police sources have revealed.

Minister, Pramod Madhwaraj, in the meanwhile, said that he has written to home minister, Dr G Parameshwar, to meet the demand of the Bunt community, family members, and the general public, to hand over the investigation into this murder case to Corps of Detectives. He has drawn the attention of the minister to the fact that policemen had delayed investigation even after Gulabi Shedti complained about the disappearance of her son, Baskar Shetty, and also some later incidents which gave rise to suspicion about the efficacy of police investigation. He said he has urged the minister to see that Bhaskar Shetty's mother and other family members get much deserved justice in the case.

Sorake meets family

Former minister and Kaup MLA, Vinay Kumar Sorke, visited Gulabi Shedti to express solidarity on Friday. Gulabi Shedti pleaded with the minister to put in efforts to see that she gets either the body of her son or his bones, as she has lost hopes of seeing him alive again. She said she grew suspicious ater her son, who called or met her every day, did not call on July 28. She said that she went to the house at Indrali too but that house was found locked. "I grew apprehensive and complained to police. As they did not take this seriously, the issue got complicated," she told him.

Sorake promised to meet the home minister and tell him about the agony the family is going through. Sorake was accompanied during the visit by Katapadi gram panchayat president, Juliet Veera D'Souza, former president, Vinay Ballal, and several other leaders.

Complete coverage:

• Udupi: Exclusive - 'Bhaskar never confided in me', says mother Gulabi 
• Udupi: Rajeshwari, Navaneeth produced in court, police custody extended till Aug 16
• Udupi: Navaneeth was test tube baby, claims kin; another relative denies
• Udupi: Ear stud removed from Niranjan's intestine, police custody soon
• Udupi: Bhaskar murder 'rarest of rare', says lawyer, accuses cops of botching up probe
  
• Udupi: Niranjan's father produced in court, cops try to evade media in vain
• Udupi: Investigation into Bhaskar Shetty murder case gains momentum
• Udupi: Will ask home minister to depute SP Annamalai in Bhaskar case: Madhwaraj
• Udupi: Bhaskar murder - Police arrest Niranjan's father; find bones in Palli river
• Udupi: Will he, won't he? Hegde says no decision yet on representing Rajeshwari
• Udupi: Opposites attract? Rajeshwari-Niranjan - Dissimilar traits, similar fates
• Udupi : Slow progress in Bhaskar Shetty murder - Investigation officer replaced ?
• Udupi: Bhaskar's kin urge fair probe, Bunt community flays lawyer Ratnakar Hegde
• Udupi: Niranjan Bhat attempts suicide in Manipal police station
• Udupi: Stony-faced and stylish, slain Bhaskar's wife, son baffle onlookers
• Udupi: Bhaskar Shetty murder - Son Navaneeth was fond of crime serials
• Udupi: Bhaskar Shetty murder - Niranjan Bhat arrested, taken to Nandalike
• Udupi : Niranjan Bhat's love for luxurious life and Bhaskar Shetty murder case
• Udupi: Bhaskar Shetty murder - As cops hunt for Niranjan Bhat, wife's affair angle emerges
• Udupi: Missing hotelier Bhaskar Shetty murdered, body burnt to ashes
• Udupi: Hotelier Bhaskar Shetty goes missing, mother says kidnapped