DAVANAGERE: Honnali BJP MLA M P Renukacharya’s nephew Chandrashekhar, who had been missing since Sunday, was found dead and his Hyundai Creta SUV crashed into the Tungabhadra canal near Soratur between Honnali and Nyamati on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, some broken parts of a four-wheeler were found near the edge of the canal, giving rise to speculation that it may be Chandrashekar’s car. On receiving information, Renukacharya and his family members rushed to the spot.
Police and Fire and Emergency Services personnel arrived at the spot and located the vehicle using a drone. Davanagere SP C B Ryshyanth arrived at the spot and the car was taken out of the canal with the help of a crane. Chandrashekar’s decomposed body was found in the vehicle and was taken to the taluk hospital for post-mortem.
A grieving Renukacharya repeatedly kept saying that he himself was responsible for Chandrashekar’s death. Speaking to Public TV earlier, he had insisted that it was “a 100 per cent preplanned kidnapping”.
Chandrashekhar is the son of Renukacharya’s elder brother M P Panchaksharaiah. Last Sunday, he went to Gourigadde near Shivamogga, along with his friend Kiran, to meet Vinay Guruji, and had been untraceable since then. His mobile phone too had remained switched off.
The two had returned to Shivamogga, where Chandrashekar had dropped off Kiran. His white Creta SUV was spotted between Shivamogga and Nyamati on CCTV camera at a toll plaza near Surahonne around 1 am on Monday and police had collected the video footage. The footage shows two cars passing the toll plaza together near Surahonne. While one is Chandrashekar’s, questions were being raised about the second car.
With the mystery surrounding Chandrashekar’s death, forensic experts will conduct a detailed investigation to establish whether it was an accident or suicide. The police are also looking at the kidnapping angle.