Karnataka: Jain Monk Acharya Sri Kamakumara Nandi Maharaj, who had been missing for two days from his ashram in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, was murdered and his dismembered body parts were recovered from a borewell in Chikkodi taluk, officials said on Saturday. Two people have been detained in the case, they added. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has formed an investigation team and issued directives to officials to conduct a thorough probe into the case.
The monk, who used to stay at Nandi Parvata Jain Basadi for the past 15 years, was reported missing since Thursday.
“On July 6, manager of the Basadi Bheemappa Ugare lodged a complaint about the missing Jain Muni. We started investigation and detained two people in connection with the case,” an officer told PTI.
Investigations have revealed that the Muni, who belongs to the Digambar sect of Jainism, used to lend money. “Prima facie it appears that the monk was murdered for money related matter,” the official added.
According to a News18 Kannada report, the monk was killed due to his demand for loan repayment.
The accused, identified as Narayana Basappa Madi and Hassan Dalayath, have allegedly confessed to the crime and have said they dismembered the body and disposed of it by throwing the pieces into the tube well. Efforts are being made to search for the deceased’s body in the well, the report stated.
The report further said that shortly after the accused’s earlier claim, they changed their statement and stated they had “wrapped the body in a cloth and disposed of it in a river.”
The main accused in the murder was a worker in the ashram, as per the report.
SDRF personnel and local police are conducting a search for the deceased body in the village fields. Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Patil stated that they have searched multiple areas as indicated by the accused.
Access to the search operation site has been restricted for the public and media. SP Patil set up a camp at the location and a forensic team were also present at the search site, it said.
The dismembered body parts were later discovered in a well located in Chikkodi taluk of the district.
