Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (MS)
Puttur, Aug 30: The 12-year-old case involving the mass murder of four people and the disappearance of the head of the family at Kakkur, Bettampady, has resurfaced, sparking renewed curiosity. A forensic report from Pune has revealed that the skeleton found in the forest does not belong to the missing family head, Venkataramana Bhat.
On June 12, 2012, four members of Venkataramana Bhat's family were found murdered in their home, located about 1.5 km from Renja, on the outskirts of Puttur. The victims included Sandhya, the wife of Venkataramana Bhat, who was an herbal doctor and astrologer, their son Harigovinda, and daughters Vedya and Vinuta. The gruesome discovery was made by an electricity meter reader three days after the incident, but Venkataramana Bhat was missing.
Venkataramana Bhat and family
Five months after the murders, a human skeleton was found hanging from a tree on November 12, 2012, deep within the Kakkur forest. It was initially suspected that the skeleton might belong to the missing Venkataramana Bhat. To confirm this, bone samples from the skeleton and blood samples from his brothers were sent to the forensic laboratory in Pune. The report now confirms that the skeleton is not Venkataramana Bhat's. The police have included this finding in the chargesheet filed in court.
Despite extensive investigations, the person responsible for the murders has not been identified, and Venkataramana Bhat remains missing. Although the case was handed over to the COD two years after the murders, they were unable to solve it.
Following the murders, rumours circulated that the deaths were caused by a Nagamani Dosha (a curse). There were also plans to conduct a Prashnachintane (a ritual to seek answers) in Kerala. If the skeleton had been identified as Venkataramana Bhat, the case might have been closed with the conclusion that he killed his family and then took his own life. However, the DNA report from the Pune forensic laboratory has reignited public interest in finding the true perpetrator.
One week before the murders, Venkataramana Bhat's house was reportedly looted by dacoits. Bhat had filed a complaint at the Sampya police station, stating that seven sovereigns of gold and Rs 50,000 in cash, which were intended for his children's education, had been stolen. Shortly after, the murders and Bhat's disappearance occurred.
Initially, both the public and the police suspected that the dacoity was a fabricated story. However, it was later confirmed when an interstate dacoit gang confessed to the robbery at Bhat's house. Despite this, the investigation concluded that the dacoits were not involved in the murders, as they had only stolen gold and cash. The mystery of who killed the four family members remains unsolved.