In Karnataka’s Gadag, hitmen murdered three visitors instead of the son who issued the order to kill the parents
GADAG/HUBBALLI: On Monday, police said that they had solved the murder of four people after apprehending eight people, among them Vinayak Bakale, who had reportedly offered a supari for Rs 65 lakh to kill his stepbrother and parents in connection with a property dispute. However, the scheme backfired when the assassins killed three visitors they thought were Bakale family members.
Around 2:30 am on Friday, three Hadimani family members who were visiting the Bakales, along with Kartik Bakale, the son of Sunanda and Prakash Bakale, the vice presidents of the Gadag-Betgeri City Municipal Council, were hacked to death. The attackers broke through the first-floor windows of the room where the Hadimanis were sleeping.
Vinayak, 31, Prakash’s older son from the first marriage, reportedly gave a contract to a criminal organization operating over Karnataka and Maharashtra over a property conflict, according to Northern (Range) IGP Vikash Kumar. Kartik is the son of Prakash Bakale and Sunanda, his second wife.
Vinayak thought his brother would be wanted by the police.
Police claim that the first plan was to kill Prakash, Sunanda, and Kartik at their Gadag home. However, the three guests of Bakales—Parashuram Hadimani, his wife Laxmibai, and their daughter Akanksha—were ultimately murdered by the contract murderers. Kartik was also slain in the battle when he came up the stairs in the middle of the night after hearing screaming.
According to police sources, Prakash has a few assets registered under Vinayak’s name. Prakash recently objected to Vinayak’s attempt to sell them. Living among the Bakales was Vinayak. Another son of Prakash’s first wife, Dattatreya Bakale, was under investigation due to his suspected fraudulent dealings with banks and diamond businesses, which had damaged his relationship with the family.
Using his brother’s broken relationship with the family as cover, Vinayak planned the murders, thinking that Dattatreya would “naturally suspect” Dattatreya.
Fairoz Nisarahmed Khazi, 29, a car dealer; Zishan Mehboobali Khazi, 24, a businessman; Sahil Ashpak Khazi, 19, a car cleaner; Sohail Ashpaq Khazi, 19, a worker; Sultan jilani Shaikh, 23, a construction worker; Mahesh Jagannath Salunke, 21, a worker; and Wahid Liyaqat Bepari, 21, a construction worker, are among the other accused who have been detained, according to IGP Vikash. All of these individuals are from Maharashtra. The investigation team headed by Gadag SP BS Nemagouda would get a prize of Rs 5 lakh from DG&IGP Alok Mohan for apprehending the guilty within a 72-hour period.
