Belgaum: The city police arrested 23-year-old youth, Praveen, in connection with the triple murder he committed in the neighbourhood house in Kuvempu Nagar under A.P.M.C. Police Station limits in the early hours of Sunday, within 12 hours of the offence and resolved the mystery behind one of the most heinous and gruesome murder witnessed in this part of the country in recent years.
The accused was arrested at about 11 p.m. on Sunday on the basis of certain credible clues seized from the house of the deceased, Reena (37), wife of Rakesh Malagatti, son Aditya (12) and daughter Sahitya (5). In his confession to the police, the accused claimed to have murdered Reena to end a forced year-long affair. He killed the two children, as they woke up and saw their mother lying in a pool of blood and viewed them as potential eye witnesses, Police Commissioner S. Ravi said here on Monday.
Acting swiftly, four teams under the guidance of the commissioner himself, deputy commissioner of police Anupam Agarwal led by Assistant Commissioner of Police of Market Sub Division B.P. Hulsagund were formed, which started investing without wasting any time on evidences collected from the house of the deceased, leading to the arrest of Praveen. The forensic experts had also indicated of only one foot-print other than inmates of the house.
Praveen’s confession
Quoting the confession made by the accused, Ravi said Praveen, son of an Ex-Serviceman Subramanya Bhat and who was pursuing his Charted Accountant course, was staying the backside of Malgatti’s house. He entered into an affair with Reena over an year ago and often spent time with her whenever her husband Rakesh was out of the city on business. She would call him in night and herself latched the door of a room provided to Harsha, a 17-year-old relative who was staying the family since April this year.
As Rakesh was away in Goa with his elder brother Rajesh, she called him at about 11-45 p.m. of Saturday and latched the door of Harsha’s (who was already asleep) room. They consumed liquor. He again came back at about 3 a.m. of Sunday and stressing to end the alleged forced relationship. As she was unwilling but insisted to continue, he lost his temper and in a rage of anger picked up a knife from kitchen and threatened to kill. As she was still adamant, he stabbed and killed her on the spot.
He then strangulated Aditya and Sahitya with a rope as they had woken up and saw their mother dead in a pool of blood. Thereafter, he hanged Aditya upside-down to a tap in a bucket of water in the bathroom and returned to his house.
Praveen, whose study room is on the first floor of his house in the backside of Malgatti’s house, divided by a very narrow gap of hardly 3 ft, easy to cross over without any difficulty. After crossing over during dark hours, he used a rope to climb to the terrace of Malgatti’s house and return using the same rope to avoid being noticed by neighbours while entering from the doors in the ground floor. Reena would keep the door of the terrace open and call him whenever her husband Rakesh was away on business tours.
After committing the murder, not only did he remain in his house but reportedly kept watching the police investigations throughout the day along with several other neighbours. He even interacted with a section of media.
His father, Subramanya Bhat, who was shocked and visibly pained with the happening said: “I was unaware of involvement of my son in the affair and murder, as he was pursuing CA we hardly go to his room on the first floor; we strongly condemn such a gruesome murder, but there should be proper investigation and the guilty must be punished and justice rendered to the bereaved family”.
