Former driver of MP brutally murdered; financial dispute suspected

VIJAYAPURA: A former driver with a senior BJP leader was brutally murdered by unidentified miscreants by smashing his head with a stone at Alakunte town on Wednesday night. The deceased has been identified as Mallikarjun Doddamani (43) who was running an autorickshaw.

Mallikarjun was earlier working as a driver with MP Ramesh Jigajinagi and had quit about three years ago. Since then, he was driving an autorickshaw for a living. It is suspected that he was murdered over some financial dispute.

A resident of Jadara Oni, was not regular at work of late. On Wednesday evening, he had gone to drop off his elder sister Shantavva at home and was murdered when he was returning. Senior police officers visited the spot and a case has been registered.