The Hindu
Bangalore, Mar 4: The death of a couple in Vivekananda Nagar, who were found dead with bullet injuries, has taken another turn. Three persons have been arrested by the Banasawadi police on the charge of murder even as Police Commissioner M. Shankar Bidari on Monday clarified that “it was a case of suicide and not a murder”.
Javed Akthar, owner of a travel agency on Bhagwan Mahaveer Road, and his wife Hazira Bano were found dead in their house on Sunday night. The police had detained three relatives of the victims — Haneef Sait, his wife Fathima and Suleiman — for questioning on Sunday night. The victims owed the accused Rs. 1.5 crore, which they had taken for business purpose.
“The three have been arrested on the charge of murder and a session court has remanded the accused in police custody till Friday. We have confiscated several documents pertaining to the real estate and money lending business, and have been collecting evidences against the accused,” a senior police official told The Hindu.
Initially, confusion over the cause of death prevailed as the police on Sunday said that the couple had been murdered by three persons, but later the Police Commissioner retracted on Monday to state that it was a case of suicide. However, Mr. Bidari said: “The case of murder against the accused still stands. Though the accused have been named in the FIR and arrested, the same need not be reflected in the charge sheet that is submitted to the court.” We are awaiting the ballistic experts report from the Forensic Science Laboratory and an autopsy report, and only then we can come to a conclusion, he added.
No breakthrough
Meanwhile, the police are yet to make headway in the murder of Infosys BPO employee, Umesh Krishnan, who died due to asphyxiation after four robbers allegedly strapped his face with adhesive tape. The victim’s wife, Anne Marie, sustained minor injuries and the miscreants had robbed valuables worth Rs. 40,000 from their house in Nanjundappa Layout near Ramaswamy Palya in Banasawadi.
“So far, we have not arrested any accused but we have quizzed a few people, especially employees of an electronic goods shop. Three special teams have been formed to crack the case,” an official said.