Beltangady: Spanish Scientist's Mysterious Death Reported - Murder Suspected

Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (GA)

Beltangady, Mar 14: In a shocking turn-around reports reaching here have claimed that a Spanish scientist who was on a research tour in the Kadirudyavara has been found dead.  The sources also said that the remains of his body have been recovered in the dense forests at Kadirudyavara after 9 months of his death.

Though it is yet to be known whether it was a suicide or murder, the police have arrested 8 locals who seemed to have known about the death of the scientist but did not disclose it to anyone else for some strange and mysterious reasons.

The scientist has been identified as Francesco Alberto Belil (26), a native of Spain.  He had come to India some months ago in order to study various wild species, animals etc in the Western Ghat region.  He had registered his name in the SP's office before venturing into deep forests with the help of forest department staff.

He was later placed in one Kondodi Nemanna Gowda's house near Kadirudyavara.  Belil stayed there for some days and gathered some useful information which was necessary for his research.  Thereafter he began his journey into the forests with the help of local youth.  These local youth had helped him to carry his tent, bags and other necessary things.  He had raised his tent in the forest by the side of flowing river.  Once in a while he used to come to the town to make phone calls especially to his wife and family members back in Spain.  The locals said that he relied on vitamin tablets and fruits for his food rather than any local food.

Meanwhile he stopped visiting the town suddenly.  Though this raised doubts in the minds of locals no one spoke anything about it in open.  But it is now said that he was found hanging from a tree by some locals.  But they neither informed about to the locals or even to the police. 

Meanwhile after not able to contact Belil for long over the phone for long, his wife contacted Spanish embassy who in turn contacted their counterpart in India.  Search operations were immediately started in Dakshina Kannada based on the information provided by his wife that he was living in a Tulu speaking area.  Since Tulu is spoken widely in Dakshina Kannada by people, the district police were contacted and the mystery was cracked.

The police have recovered the tent, bag and Belil's cellphone from a local.  The SIM card from the mobile phone has been thrown.  Police have arrested Girish Gowda of Kondodi, Prasad Naik of Kanchalagadde near Kadirudyavara, Chandrashekhar Gowda, Gopal Gowda, Vasanth Naik of Kanchalgadde, Shekhar Naik and Dinesh Naik in this regard. 

Though the remains of the body have been traced, identity is yet to be established.  The police have undertaken enquiry and have expected to crack the mystery soon