Family of mahout files complaint, seeks fresh probe into double murder case in Karnataka
Ganesh and Bharathi, son and daughter of Narayana Safalya, the elephant caretaker, visited the SIT office in Belthangady and filed a formal complaint, and demanded the arrest of the accused involved in the murder. Narayana was 67, and Yamuna was 52 when they were killed in 2012.
'My father Narayana, who had retired as mahout, lived in Burje of Dharmasthala village with his sister Yamuna. Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade's brother Harshendra Kumar had been threatening my father to vacate his house for five years before the murder.
My father was assaulted twice in front of his house. On the eve of September 20, 2012, Harshendra Kumar came to my father's house and asked him to vacate the house, and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not leave.
We have information that on September 21, 2012, my father and his sister Yamuna watched a drama at KSRTC bus stand on the occasion of Ganeshotsav, and returned home around 10pm. The next day, when they did not open the door till 12noon, locals went to the house and found them lying with fatal head injuries. Father had been hit on the head with a large stone, and Yamuna's head with a grinding stone.
'My father did not have any wealth, money or gold, and whatever little money and jewellery they had at home was not stolen by the murderers. My father did not have any other enemies. He was murdered with the intention to take possession of his house and property which he got from his ancestors.
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