Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JD/MS)
Udupi, Nov 23: Superintendent of police SP Dr Arun K gave details in a press conference that was held in the city on Thursday, November 23 on the developments on the Quadruple murder case that occurred at Nejar on November 12.
Dr Arun said, “Accused Praveen Chowgule was given to police custody of 14 days. However, we have completed the inquiry before the date and produced him in the court. According to the details that have come to light during the interrogation, the accused and one of the victims (Ainaaz) were colleagues. They have worked together on eight to 10 flights.
“During the course of their work, the accused and the victim developed friendship. The accused also helped the victim in some way. He also gave his two-wheeler to her. However, from the past one month, the victim was not speaking to the accused. This made the accused to grow animosity against the victim and led to commit the act.
“Accused Praveen parked his car before the toll gate to avoid being captured on the CCTV. He attacked the victim first, then her mother, elder sister and the younger brother. After committing the crime, the accused used various modes of transport and reached Mulki. He went to his house in Mangaluru and also to hospital for medical treatment to his injured finger. The accused used a knife to kill all the four victims. It was then kept by him in his kitchen. The accused then escaped to Kuduchi near Belgavi with his wife.
“This act was committed out of jealousy. We have investigated in all angles and came to the conclusion that personal jealousy was the reason. The accused was associated with Pune city police earlier. As the present job in Air India Express gave him higher salary, he changed his job.
“The mobile phone of the accused is in our custody. We will extract data for further proceedings. As of now, we have completed the investigation and do not find any reason to keep him in our custody for more days.
“The accused was on contractual post in Air India Express and if required we will investigate further on the background check done by the airlines. The victim was feeling emotional during the investigation. We have requested increase in his security considering the gravity of the situation. He is kept in a separate cell.
“Three additional cases are registered in connection with this incident. The CCTV cameras will be installed and we have asked for new proposals. The proposals will be sent to the concerned department by the end of November. All the entry and exit points of the city will be monitored by CCTV cameras.
“The bank account details and other assets of the accused are checked. He was earning around Rs 70,000. The family members of the victims have been very cooperative. They helped us to rule out many things. They have conveyed us facts in a swift way. They are in deep grief and shock. The victims’ family had demanded the appointment of a special public prosecutor. We will try and provide this and also move the case to a fast track court.
“We initially formed six teams and later another six in order to speed up probe in the case. All the teams have worked in an efficient manner. All the officers of the district have worked sincerely in this case. They have unearthed more than what was portrayed by the media.
“We will send the mobile phones of all the victims to the FSL. We will also request the family for a separate case in relation to the money transactions done by victim Haseena. The support of the locals during the probe was very helpful. They helped us to maintain law and order. We have adequate evidence but are working on substantial evidence. We have recommended Rs 1.5 lac reward for the police team. This was my responsibility,” he said.