Kalaburagi: City police have arrested three individuals for allegedly murdering Raghavendra Nayak (39) following a dispute linked to a live-in relationship, Police Commissioner Sharanappa SD said on Sunday.
The arrested accused have been identified as Gururaja Sheshappa Nelogi (36), Ashwini Rajashekar Mallabada (26), and Laxmikant Mallikarjun Malipatil (28), all residents of Kalaburagi city.
The case came to light after Surekha, Nayak’s wife, lodged a missing complaint at the Station Bazaar police station when her husband failed to return home for nearly two months. Nayak was a resident of Ganesh Nagar and worked in a small enterprise in the city.
Police investigations revealed that Nayak was previously in a live-in relationship with Ashwini Mallabada, which later ended. Ashwini subsequently entered into a relationship with Gururaja Nelogi, leading to growing hostility between Nelogi and Nayak.
On March 12, around 8.30 pm, the accused allegedly tracked Nayak near a lodge close to a supermarket in Kalaburagi. They reportedly forced him into a vehicle, took him to the Krishna Nagar crematorium, and assaulted him with sticks. After killing him, the accused allegedly disposed of the body into a river from Krishna Bridge in Shakti Nagar, Raichur district.
A special investigation team was formed under DCPs Kannika Sikriwal and Praveen H Nayak, led by ACP Sharanabasappa Subedar, with officers from Station Bazaar police station. Following intelligence inputs, the accused were arrested, and further investigation is ongoing.
