Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Updated
Mangaluru, Feb 10: A young married woman's body was found in a decomposed state in a secluded area near Madur Kancharu bridge under Ullal police limits here on Wednesday February 10. Based on blood stains found at the house she was living in, the police have confirmed that she was murdered by her lover.
The deceased, identified as Shobha (22), was originally from Shivamogga. Her lover Muttappa Datinala, with whom she was living for the past six months, has been taken into custody.
The body was discovered by a Hindi-speaking pedestrian who went into the wooded area to answer nature's call. Initially, nobody could identify the body as it was completely decomposed, but later people in the neighbourhood arrived at the spot and identified it as that of Shobha from the nightie she had worn.
Muttappa from Halegeri of Badami taluk in Bagalkot district and and Shobha had taken a house on rent at Asiya compound in Beeri about four months ago. Muttappa took up coolie work while Shobha stayed at home most of the time and once in a while would go to the local rice mill for work. They first met each other near Kulur about six months ago, after which Muttappa got her to live with him. Sources said that Shobha was alcoholic and would frequently quarrel in a drunken stupor. She used to spend all the earnings on alcohol, sources said.
Also, it is learnt that Shobha was married but a year ago she left her husband and child and started living on the roadside at Kulur. She was addicted to alcohol and even after she met Muttappa and started living with him, she continued to drink.
It is said that on the night of Monday February 8, a quarrel erupted between the couple and in a fit of rage, Muttappa banged Shobha's head against a wall, which killed her.
On Wednesday evening, when the body was found, Muttappa was in Kolya doing some coolie work. The Ullal police took him into custody and during interrogation, he is said to have admitted to the crime.
Clue from blood stains: As Shobha and Muttappa were addicted to alcohol, the locals expressed suspicions that she might have died due to excessive alcohol consumption. However, when a police team led by SI Bharati went to the couple's residence to investigate, they found water being let out from a pipe inside the house and blood stains on the steps. It is surmised that the drunken couple quarrelled and in a fit of rage, Muttappa hit Shobha with some object, due to which she bled to death. The same night, Muttappa threw the body in a secluded spot and then slept outside his house. Thereafter, he let out water from a pipe inside the house in order to clear the blood stains, sources said. As the blood stains were visible from inside the house up till the gate, the police suspect that another person might have helped Muttappa in taking the body from the gate to the spot where it was found.
Ullal police have registered a case and further invesigations are on.