Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Dec 9: All the four persons, accused of murdering Rekha (22), a Dalit woman from Tota in Nelyady village in the taluk, were produced in the court here by rural police circle inspector, H Y Jagadish, on Thursday December 8.

The policemen requested the court to hand over the accused for police custody as they still have to recover some more items in connection with this murder. The court passed favourable orders, and remanded them to two days police custody. Ramesh (37) from Nelyady Kajekkadu, Anand (32), a jeep driver from Nelyady, Veerappa (30) from Nelyady Mannagundi, and Keshava (34) from Nelyady Balya, have been accused of taking Rekha to a forest, raping her, and deserting her body after killing her there.

The policemen say that Rekha had become pregnant because of her illicit relationship with Ramesh. His family was opposed to the alliance, but Rekha continued to force him to marry her. Ramesh, with the aim of finding a permanent solution to the problem, reportedly invited Rekha to a spot in the guise of aborting the foetus on November 5. Once she reached there, she was led to a jeep in which the other accused were present, it is said. The jeep in question has already been confiscated.

Parts of Rekha’s decomposed body were found in Daddalaplike forest on November 19. Initially, the policemen did not buy the claim of the locals that it was a case of murder. However, after getting reliable clues about the story behind Rekha’s murder, they arrested the above four accused, who reportedly have confessed to their involvement.