Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (MS)

Puttur, Dec 12: Uppinangady police have arrested Babu alias Rudra (68) in connection with the murder of Deepak Bengara (34), a native of Assam and a labourer, who was killed while sleeping in an under-construction library building near the Uppinangady bus stand.

Deepak, who had previously worked in a bar, recently started working as a labourer. His body was found on December 4 in the under-construction building. As Deepak often slept in roadside and abandoned buildings, police initially struggled to identify acquaintances or suspects. However, by reviewing CCTV footage from the bus stand area, they identified movements of a potential suspect.

The accused, Babu, a resident of Kumbrage House in Kalmanja village, was apprehended in Deralakatte, Ullal. During questioning, he confessed to the crime.

According to police, Babu, who was wanted in a theft case, had been roaming near the bus stand. To evade the authorities, he entered the under-construction building to rest. However, Deepak, who was sleeping there, reportedly asked him to leave, suspecting him to be the building's security guard.

Later, Babu realized his mobile phone and wallet were missing and suspected Deepak of stealing them. He returned to the building and confronted Deepak, leading to a verbal altercation. Enraged, Babu retrieved a wooden log from a nearby hotel and fatally struck Deepak on the head.

The investigation and arrest were carried out by Uppinangady CI Ravi B S, SI Avinash H, and personnel Shivaram, Hitosh, Girish, Ramanna Gowda, and others.