GADAG: Three members of a family and the son of the vice-president of the Gadag-Betageri city municipal council, Sunanda Bakale, were murdered by unidentified attackers in their house at Dasara Oni in Gadag on the intervening night of April 18 and 19. While one knife was found in a drain in front of the house, three other weapons were found behind the house giving rise to speculation that there may have been at least four attackers.
The deceased are Karthik Bakale (27), son of municipal council vice-president Sunanda Bakale and Prakash Bakale, Parashuram Hadimani (58), his wife Lakshmi (50) and daughter Akanksha (17). Karthik’s wedding was scheduled for April 17 and the family had guests at home. Akanksha had recently appeared for the SSLC exams and the family hails from Koppal. Parashuram’s wife and daughter were sleeping in a bedroom on the first floor when they were attacked.
House owner Prakash Bakale said they called the police as they got suspicious about the sound of the door when the attackers escaped. “Had we opened the door, we would have also been killed”, he said. Senior police officials, dog squad and the forensic team visited the spot.
Inspector General of Police (northern range) Vikash Kumar Vikas, who visited the spot, said different teams have been formed to nab the culprits. “If anybody has any information, we would welcome it. We are looking at CCTV footage. It doesn’t seem to be a case of dacoity as all the jewellery was on the body. The mother and daughter were sleeping in the room on the first floor while the other two were in a room on the ground floor. Karthik’s parents were in another room which was bolted from inside. This is a sensitive case and we will crack it soon”.
Superintendent of Police B S Nemagouda said, “According to the family, the attack took place between 2 am and 3 am, but the identities of the attackers is not known. However, we will arrest them soon. The family said the attackers banged on the door, but they did not open. But three people had been killed in a bedroom on the first floor. It is likely that the attackers gained entry from the terrace”.
Parashuram Hadimani and his family were residents of Bhagyanagar in Koppal and he was into the hotel business. The family had even celebrated Akanksha’s birthday on Thursday night in a grand manner. The family had arrived in Gadag from Koppal on Wednesday and was to return on Friday.
The bodies were taken to the GIMS hospital for autopsy and the last rites of Karthik were conducted in Gadag while the bodies of Parashuram and his family were sent to Koppal.