Contractor brutally murdered, house of one of the accused set on fire in Shiggaon

HAVERI: A Class-1 contractor was brutally murdered by a group of five youths in front of a hotel near Gangebhavi Cross in Shiggaon town on Tuesday afternoon. In an act of revenge, the slain contractor’s family members set fire to the house of one of the accused the same evening. However, there were no casualties as there was no one at home at that time.

Haveri SP Anshu Kumar visited the scene of crime on Tuesday afternoon.

Contractor Shivanand Kunnur (40) was brutally murdered by Ashraf, Nagaraj Savadatti, Hanumanthu, Sudeep and Suresh Gowli around 2.30 pm on Tuesday. The accused were identified based on videos of the brutal act captured by bystanders. The police have now formed five teams to nab the accused.

Accused Nagaraj’s house was set on fire the same evening.

On Tuesday evening, Shivanand’s family members set fire to Nagaraj Savadatti’s house at Ambedkar Circle in the town by pouring petrol inside. The Fire and Emergency Services personnel put out the blaze, but everything inside was completely destroyed. The family has also vowed to take revenge on the remaining accused also.

The accused Ashraf, Nagaraj, Hanumantha, Sudeep and Suresh Gowli.

Curiously, in a viral audio clip, one of the accused, Ashraf, can be heard confessing to killing Shivanad Kunnur on the phone and saying that the contractor had given a supari (hit job) on him to some men from Hubballi for Rs 20 lakh. Incidentally, footage from CCTV camera at a hotel on June 21 shows some men walking out with a packet in hand, which is believed to be stacks of currency notes.

Contractor Shivanand had reportedly met some hired hitmen at a restaurant a couple of days ago.

In the audio, Ashraf can be heard saying that Shivanand’s men had taken him to the APMC yard where they stripped and thrashed him. “I escaped from there, but Shivanand came alone later looking for me. I called my friends and I killed him in full public view. I made a mistake, but look after my family while I’m gone. I have photos of Shivanand with other women and that is why he planned to eliminate me”, Ashraf can be heard saying.

Based on the videos shot by bystander of Shivanand’s murder, his wife has lodged a complaint with the police who have formed special teams to nab the accused. Security has also been enhanced security in the town by deploying additional personnel in view of the tense situation.