Daijiworld Media Network - Madikeri

Madikeri, Oct 26: In a swift and intense investigation, Kodagu police have arrested three individuals in connection with the murder of Ramesh, a 54-year-old real estate businessman from Telangana.

The case, which has garnered significant media attention, was cracked just 15 days after a half-decomposed body was discovered on October 8 in Panya Estate near Suntikoppa of Kodagu district.

Authorities reported that the victim had allegedly been murdered elsewhere before his body was set ablaze with petrol, with investigators estimating the burning occurred three to four days prior to the gruesome discovery. This horrifying find left police scrambling to identify the victim, prompting an urgent investigation.

Superintendent of Police K Ramarajan took a personal interest in the high-profile case, mobilising four special teams of 16 officers. The police began an extensive review of CCTV footage from vehicles in the area around the time of the murder, as the crime scene was located just a kilometre from the highway. This required analysing data from thousands of vehicles in the Madikeri, Suntikoppa, Kushalanagar, and Madapur regions.

As investigators pored over more than 500 CCTV recordings from Madikeri to Tumakuru, attention turned to a red Benz car traced back to Ramesh. However, it became increasingly alarming when it was revealed that Ramesh had been missing for a week.

Collaboration between Kodagu police and their counterparts in Telangana led to the gathering of crucial information about Ramesh’s family. Suspicions soon focused on his second wife, Niharika, alongside her companion, veterinarian Dr Nikhil, and her friend Ankur Rana. Niharika was eventually taken into custody, where she unveiled shocking details about the crime.

Niharika, 29, hails from Mongeer Nagar in Telangana. Following her father's death when she was just 16, her mother remarried, and Niharika became a mother shortly thereafter. After a divorce due to marital discord, she excelled academically, graduating in engineering and securing a job at TCS in Bengaluru with a monthly salary of Rs 1.2 lac.

However, her life took a dramatic turn while living in Haryana, where she became involved in a financial scam that landed her in jail. After her release, she returned to Bengaluru and married Ramesh in 2018, who provided her with a lavish lifestyle. Yet, tensions escalated over financial disagreements, particularly regarding Ramesh's refusal to grant her a sum of Rs 8 crore that she demanded.