Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Aug 17: The chief district and sessions court here, by a verdict delivered on Friday August 16, sentenced a person to life term imprisonment for killing Sharanappa in the labourers shed of Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) six years back in an effort to recover money lent to the victim. The man who was found guilty and sentenced happens to be Basappa Durgappa Mastmaradi alias Basu (45).
Both Sharanappa and Basappa were contract labourers temporarily hired by Souza Constructions for working for UPCL. Sharanappa had borrowed Rs 500 from Basappa. As he failed to repay the debt, fight used to break out between the two often.
Basappa Durgappa
On this issue, Basappa, with the help of another accused, Sangayya, murdered Sharanappa who was sleeping in the shed of the labour colony on the night of August 25, 2013, by dropping a boulder on Sharanappa's chest and head. Later, the killers had escaped with a cellphone found on Sharanappa's body and Rs 2,000 in cash, as per a complaint filed in Padubidri police station.
The then Kaup police circle inspector Shivanand S Walikar, who investigated the complaint, had arrested both the accused. Police circle inspector Sunil Y Naik, who succeeded Walikar, had filed charge sheet on November 25, 2013.
Out of 40 witnesses named, 20 were examined. Judge of the court, C M Joshi, came to the conclusion that the charges levelled against the accused have been proved. He handed down life term imprisonment to the guilty and imposed fine of Rs 5,000.
The other accused in the case, Sangayya alias Sangappa Chandrashekhar Shirol (40) from Hosa Yallapur in Dharwad district, had fallen ill after completing a year in judicial custody. He was admitted into Wenlock Hospital at Mangaluru for treatment. He breathed his last there even as hearing into the case was pending.
District public prosecutor Shanti Bai had represented the prosecution in the case.