Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur
Kundapur, Dec 3: The police have cracked the mystery behind the woman who was found dead on the banks of River Sita at Gummola-Halniru under Belve gram panchayat limits earlier this week. Two persons have been arrested in the case.
Addressing a press meet here on Thursday December 3, Udupi superintendent of police (SP) Annamalai revealed that the woman has been identified as Usha Shetty (33), a resident of Nechchur, Kandavara, and it has been confirmed that she was murdered. Her body was found on Monday December 30 in a decomposed condition, and police tried hard to ascertain her identity.
SP Annamalai said that as per the post-mortem report, Usha was murdered seven days before her body was found. There were injury marks on her head and face. When the police investigated locally, they learnt that Usha had been in touch with seven persons, who were then taken into custody for questioning. It was then that the role of a person identified as Vishwanath Naik, a resident of Gummola, in the murder came to light.
Investigation revealed that Vishwanath had been in regular contact with Usha for the past eight years. He had been reportedly giving her money as and when she demanded. Also, she had other demands too, and constantly pestered him to build a house for her somewhere in the village.
However, of late, he had not only stopped giving her money, but also demanded her to pay back all that she had borrowed from him, saying he was facing financial constraints due to the construction of his new house. The two often quarrelled over the matter, and finally, a disgusted Vishwanath planned to finish her off. He called her to his new house and murdered her, and then with the help of a local identified as Karunakar Shetty, Usha's body was thrown on the banks of the Sita river, said SP Annamalai, adding that Vishwanath had admitted to the crime.
The prime accused Vishwanath Naik (34) is engaged in masonry work. Usha had been working in a cashew factory for the past eight years. On November 23, Vishwanath as usual asked her to come to his new house located at Halniru near Gummola. He told her to come by auto rickshaw till Bidkalkatte and said he would pick her up on his bike from there. Accordingly, Usha, draped in a sari, went to his house, where she changed into a nightie. Meanwhile, Vishwanath had also called Karunakar Shetty, who had reportedly asked sexual favour from Usha, and on seeing the two on bike, he followed them to the house.
After she changed into her nightie, Vishwanath had sex with her and so did Karunakar. Thereafter, a quarrel erupted between Usha and Vishwanath over money matters. Vishwanath then hammered Usha's head with a heavy stone that was lying in the house, and she died on the spot.
Vishwanath took away the ornaments she was wearing, believing them to be made of gold, and kept them safe in his wife's house. With Karunakar's help, Vishwanath dumped Usha's body in a ditch on the banks of the river about 150 metres away from his house. Also, he used the sari she had been wearing to wipe off the blood on the floor and then thrown it into the water.
Usha was a married lady, working at cashew factory at Goliangady. Her parents are aged and her brothers are working in other states. She used to visit her parents' house once in a while and stay at the quarters provided by the cashew factory on other days. Her husband left her about five years ago, and her two children are being looked after by her mother.
Last month she came home for Deepavali and stayed for a week, it is said. She left from home, but did not join work again, it is said. After November 23, she did not return home either. When enquired, the factory owner had said that Usha did not return to work after Deepavali. Her parents said that she might have joined another cashew factory, but when her mobile phone was found to be switched off, the family grew worried. On Monday when a female body was found, her family members were informed and later her brother identified her.
The police have arrested Vishwanath and Karunakar and produced them in court. Shankaranarayana police who registered the case have seized two rolled gold karimani chains, rolled gold earrings, a pair of silver anklets, Rico watch, two mobile phones and Rs 10,190 in cash.