Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Sep 28: The lifeless body of the owner of a shop covered in blood was found on the platform outside his shop meant for customers at Jaratharu here on Tuesday September 27. Although it looks like a case of suicide, possibility of murder cannot be ruled out.

The body was that of Pakirappa Rai (65), resident of Payandur in Ariyadka village in the taluk. He was running a shop at Jaratharu since the lat 45 years. Most of the time he slept in his shop at night. On this Sunday and Monday he had stayed at his shop overnight. A customer who visited his shop on Tuesday afternoon found he shop closed. Rai's body was found lying on the platform outside with only a Lungi on it. As the shop was locked, people perhaps went away from a distance without noticing his body. As such no one knows when he died.

Two bottles of poison, one of which was empty and other, half-filled, were found on the shop's platform. Te fact that lot of blood had oozed out of the body has given rise to suspicion about Rai having been murdered. At the same time, there were no visible wound on the body, compounding the issue further. The body was taken to Mangaluru for postmortem.

Sampya police have registered a case. Its station house officer has begun investigation.