Belagavi: A murder case has been reported from Huligatti Cross village under the Saudatti Police Station limits in Belagavi district, in which a 49-year-old man was stabbed to death following a long-standing personal dispute, police said.
Addressing the media, K. Ramarajan, Superintendent of Police, Belagavi, said the incident occurred on February 2, when the victim, Basavaraj Parappa (49), a native of Bisaroni village, was allegedly followed and attacked with a knife.
According to the preliminary investigation, the accused has been identified as Eerayya Sangayya Mathapati (32). Police stated that the motive for the crime appears to be linked to a personal and familial dispute dating back nearly 15 years.
The SP said that the accused allegedly held a long-standing grudge after the victim had earlier taken the accused’s mother to Maharashtra and later abandoned her there. Though the two families later returned to the region, tensions reportedly resurfaced when the victim recently began constructing a house in his native village, leading to repeated confrontations.
On the day of the incident, police said the accused followed the victim from Bisaroni village towards Huligatti, and near Huligatti Cross, attacked him with a knife, inflicting multiple grievous injuries to the head, shoulder, back and abdomen.
During the assault, the accused also sustained defensive injuries, indicating a physical struggle between the two, the SP said. Both men were shifted to hospital, where Basavaraj Parappa succumbed to his injuries, while the accused remains under medical treatment.
Police have secured the accused and stated that he will be formally arrested after discharge from hospital. A large knife, believed to be the weapon used in the crime, has been recovered, and investigators are examining whether the attack was premeditated, including when and where the weapon was procured.
The SP further said that an inquiry is also underway to ascertain whether any additional persons were involved, though initial eyewitness accounts suggest the attack was carried out by a single individual.
The investigation is ongoing, and further legal action will be taken based on medical reports, forensic evidence and witness statements, police said.
