In a shocking turn of events twelve years ago during the Banashankari festival in Badami, Karnataka, two men were apprehended by police after providing conflicting responses to routine inquiries. The incident occurred around 4 a.m. on November 19 when a patrol team noticed them sitting in a parked autorickshaw. This seemingly innocuous encounter led to their detention at the Kulageri police station, only for authorities to later discover that the men were implicated in a nearby murder.
Badami, which once served as the capital of the Chalukya dynasty, is renowned for its stunning rock-cut cave temples and attracts millions of devotees during the Banashankari Amma festival. With attendance figures soaring between 30 to 40 lakh, law enforcement from multiple districts is deployed to maintain order, as the festival often draws in pickpockets and thieves from surrounding regions.
On that fateful night in 2013, the patrolling officers, including constables Yamanappa Itagi and Somayya Mannur, approached the autorickshaw where Gangadhara and Shafi Abdul Munaf Takalli were seated. The men’s contradictory answers raised suspicions, prompting the officers to conduct a background check at the police station. While one claimed to be waiting for friends, the other mentioned he was waiting for the temple to open, which led the police to believe something was amiss.
As the investigation unfolded, police inspector Shivaputrappa AB received a call regarding the murder of an elderly woman, Sumithra, who lived alone. Upon arriving at the crime scene, he was confronted with a gruesome sight: the victim had multiple stab wounds, indicating a brutal attack, and her home had been ransacked with valuables missing.
The absence of CCTV footage necessitated a thorough inquiry with neighbors. Witnesses noted that Sumithra had received visitors a day prior, but nothing seemed suspicious at the time. In an effort to gather more information, police examined mobile phone activity in the vicinity during the hours surrounding the murder. Notably, some of the active numbers traced back to the two detainees at the Kulageri police station, providing a crucial breakthrough in the case.
Upon further interrogation, Gangadhara and Takalli confessed to the murder, implicating others in the crime, including Kiran Kumar, Mahammad Yakub, and Mujafar. Investigations revealed that Kiran was actually Sumithra’s nephew, who had been treated like a son by her throughout his life.
To apprehend Kiran, police orchestrated a scenario in which Gangadhara contacted him about the stolen jewelry. Unaware of the ongoing investigation, Kiran arrived to meet Gangadhara, where he was promptly arrested. During questioning, Kiran admitted to the murder, detailing how he and his accomplices attacked Sumithra while she was asleep, ultimately smothering her before inflicting fatal stab wounds.
Despite a lack of eyewitnesses, the police compiled a chargesheet against the five suspects involved in the case, with Kiran identified as the principal offender. The case was strengthened by mobile phone records, which served as critical evidence linking the suspects to the crime, ultimately leading to their conviction.
