Aynaz alone was target, accused killed children as they were witnesses, says Udupi SP

UDUPI: The accused in the Udupi quadruple murder, Praveen Arun Chougule, reportedly admitted during preliminary investigation that he planned to kill Aynaz, but killed the other members of the family as they were eyewitnesses to the killing. Also, he was married to another woman.

“Aynaz was working with Air India and we are investigating the relationship between the two”, said Arun, Udupi district Superintendent of Police on Wednesday before producing Praveen before the Udupi Court.

Addressing a press conference, the SP said the accused is aged between 39-40 years. “We were just able to conduct a preliminary investigation. We had formed five police teams to search for him. There are three to four reasons for murder. We have no information about whether the accused was in CRPF or CISF service. We are investigating the case in several dimensions. Everything will be known after the completion of the investigation”, the SP said. Any further disclosure at this time may hamper investigation, he added.

He further said, “We arrested Praveen on the basis of technical and human intelligence. A clear picture of the murder scene will be known soon. We have intensified the investigation. We are interrogating several suspects and have tightened security in all parts of the district”.

“If others are involved in the murders , they will be arrested too. We are interrogating the accused in several aspects of the case. About 15 to 20 people are being interrogated in connection with the case. With the cooperation of the Belagavi district police, we arrested him”, the officer said.

Malpe Circle inspector Manjunath Gowda has been named as investigating officer (IO) in the case. The police have collected important documents and evidence, sources said.