Cops fail to trace body of abducted youth killed 9 months ago

Chikkamagaluru: The Bengaluru police have conducted searches at Charmadi Ghat in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district to find the body of a youth who was abducted in Bengaluru and killed in Chikkaballapur. It was based on the information provided by accused that the young man was killed and his body dumped in the Charmadi ghat nine months ago

Last month, the police received information that the accused had killed a young man named Sharath from Konanakunte, Bengaluru and dumped the dead body in Charmadi ghat. It was revealed in the investigation. The police have been searching for the dead body of the youth at Charmadi Ghat since Tuesday and the search is continuing presently. They are searching for the body with the help of locals in the inaccessible forest of Charmadi Ghat of Chikmagalur and Dakshina Kannada district.

A video and photo of a young man being half-naked and assaulted with a rope went viral on social media. This was noticed by the ACP of Cubbon Park subdivision. On the basis of this, the police who conducted an investigation came to know that Sarath, a resident of Kottanur, was abducted by the accused in a car from Banashankari bus stand and fatally attacked and murdered. Police had already arrested five accused in this connection.

Two cases were registered in Konanakunte police station where the deceased Sharath was cheating people by claiming that he would sanction the loan from the government under the SC-ST scheme. On the other hand, it is said that the accused had given a loan of Rs 20 lakhs to the deceased last year. The accused kidnapped the deceased who was struggling to pay the money and forced him to pay. The police informed that Sharath, who had promised to pay the money within a few days, was abducted again by the accused from Banashankari on March 23 because he did not keep up his promise.

Sharath was abducted in a car and brought to a farm house in Chikkaballapur and beaten up by accused He has been physically assaulted continuously for a week. In order not to suspect any more abduction, the accused sent a message to Sharath's parents , stating 'I am debt ridden , going to other state , coming back later' . Then he switched off the phone and threw it on a lorry. The investigating police informed that Sharath died on March 29 due to severe assault.

After murdering Sharath, the accused started to destroy the evidence. He packed the dead body in a sack and kept it in the car and dumped it at Charmadi Ghat. After that, the accused came to Bangalore and started living as if nothing had happened. However, as the footage of the attack went viral, a local person called in the guise of the media and demanded money. But accused did not pay money to him. Later the video came to the notice of the ACP of Cubbon Park sub-division who investigated it and the truth of the murder was came to light. After three days of search in Charmadi ghat the Bengaluru police team went back to Bengaluru on Thursday. Villagers said since it is nine months over after body was thrown in forest , it is difficult to trace the bones.