Belagavi police uncover shocking supari killings, arrest six in connection to 3 murders

synopsis

The Yamakanamaradi police in Belagavi have successfully solved three murder cases that were covered up as accidents, suicides, and heart attacks over the past three years. Based on a recent complaint, police arrested six individuals involved in these 'betel nut murders,' where the killers used a betel nut as part of their deadly plan.

The three cases date back to a period of three years. In two of these cases, the victims’ wives played a key role in orchestrating their husbands' murders. The police investigation revealed shocking details about how these murders were staged and covered up.

Maharashtra: 77-year-old woman forced to drink urine, eat dog excreta, thrashed on suspicion of black magic

In April 2024, 34-year-old Mahantesh Bhimappa Sutakannavara was found dead in his sleep. The cause of death was initially believed to be a heart attack. However, after Mahantesh's brother, Kallappa Sutakannavara, raised suspicions, the police reopened the case. It was revealed that Mahantesh’s wife, Mala Sutakannavara, had paid Rs 70,000 to Akash Gokavi, a known criminal, to have her husband killed. 

Mahantesh’s wife confessed during the investigation that her husband used to drink heavily and harass her. Akash Gokavi, along with his associates Ramesh Malagi and Appanna Nayak, made Mahantesh consume large amounts of alcohol before strangling him with a rope. They then staged the scene to look like a heart attack, and the body was buried hastily at night. After the murder, the wife paid Rs 30,000 to the criminals via phone. Police later exhumed Mahantesh's body from a grave in Hukkeri and confirmed that it was a murder.

In another case, the murder of Nagappa Vitthal Mareppagol was linked to his wife’s illicit relationship with another man. Yallava, Nagappa’s wife, along with her lover Nagappa Malagi, conspired to kill her husband. Yallava had paid Rs 3 lakh for the murder, with an initial advance of Rs 65,000. 

The plan was set in motion when Appanna Nayak lured Nagappa to the Savalagi fair, got him drunk, and strangled him. To cover up the crime, they laid his body on the railway tracks near Parakanatti, making it appear as though he had died by suicide.

Bengaluru: Drunken son kills father during heated family dispute in Rajajinagar

The third case involved a dispute between two brothers, Ramesh Lagamappa Malagi and his brother Vitthal Malagi. Vitthal had mortgaged a piece of land worth Rs 22 lakh, which angered Ramesh. In 2022, Ramesh, along with his associates Akash Gokavi and Appanna Nayak, decided to take Vitthal’s life. They took him to a remote hill in Kundargi, made him drink excessive alcohol, and strangled him with a rope. They then took his body on a bike and hastily cremated it, destroying all evidence and making up a story that Vitthal had died in an accident.

The breakthrough in these three cases came when Mahantesh's brother, Kallappa Sutakannavara, filed a complaint at the Yamakanamaradi police station. Under the leadership of Police CPI Javed Mushapuri and PSI S.K. Mannikeri, a team of dedicated officers launched a thorough investigation. After weeks of investigation, the police arrested six suspects involved in the murders: Akash Gokavi, Ramesh Malagi, Appanna Nayak, and the wives of the two deceased victims, Mala Sutakannavara and Yallava Vitthal Mareppagol, along with her lover Nagappa Malagi.