CID team in Chikkodi to probe Jain monk’s murder

CHIKKODI: A team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrived here on Monday after the probe into the murder of Jain monk 108 Acharya Kamakumara Nandi Maharaj of Hirekodi was handed over to the agency.

The team will collect all details and will visit the Nandi Parvat ashram at Hirekodi and the spot where the chopped body parts were dumped in a borewell. Team of six officer is led by CID Superintendent of Police Venkatesh and Deputy SP H D Kulkarni.

On Sunday, the team visited the ashram and also collected details from the Belagavi district Deputy SP Basavaraj Yaligar. So far, two people — Narayan Mali and Hasansab Dalayat — have been arrested in the case and are lodged in the Hindalga jail.

The Chikkodi police had almost completed the probe with the arrest of the duo, collected technical evidence and seized the Jain monk’s personal diary. They have also questioned over 20 people whose names were mentioned in the diary and who had borrowed money from the monk. Now, the CID will further investigate the case.

The Nandi Parvat ashram at Hirekodi in Chikkodi taluk.

Kamakumara Nandi Maharaj went missing on July 5 and a missing person’s complaint was lodged on July 7. Four hours later, the Chikkodi police had arrested Narayan Mali and Hasansab Dalayat for the murder of the monk. They had chopped the monks body to pieces and dumped them into a borewell on an agricultural field some 30 km away.

The opposition BJP in the state had demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI, but Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced in the Assembly that the investigation has been handed over to the CID.