Kodagu Contractor’s Murder Case Traced To Personal Grudge; Police Clarifies He Is Not The Person Who Threw Egg At Siddaramaiah

Accused Ganapathi(Left), Accused Kiran(Right). Photo Courtesy: The Hindu

MADIKERI: Kodagu district police have arrested three individuals—including a woman—for their alleged involvement in the murder of Sampath, a civil contractor from Kushalnagar. His body was discovered on May 14 in the Vanaguru forest area in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district, days after he was reported missing.

According to The Hindu report, the deceased, also known as Shambu, had borrowed a car from his friend John Paul on May 9. When he failed to return the following night and his mobile phone remained unreachable, a missing person’s complaint was filed at the Kushalnagar Town police station.

Coincidentally, a car with visible bloodstains and hair strands was found abandoned on the same day in Kallahalli village under Yasalur police station limits in Sakleshpur taluk. Upon verification, authorities confirmed it was the same vehicle borrowed by Sampath. Four days later, the contractor's body was recovered in the nearby Vanaguru forest.

Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan, Additional SP B.P. Dinesh Kumar, and other senior officers visited the site and formed multiple special teams to investigate the case. Their probe revealed that Sampath, who was reportedly involved in extramarital affairs, had been murdered over personal rivalry.

According to police, Sangeetha, one of the accused, had invited Sampath to Hanagal village in Somwarpet on May 9. Once he arrived, her husband Kiran and another associate, Ganapathi, allegedly attacked Sampath—assaulting him with a club and slashing him with a knife, leading to his death.

The trio then transported the body in the same car to the forest in Vanaguru, where they dumped the corpse. They later abandoned the vehicle in Kallahalli village. To avoid detection, the accused had arranged for another car from Bengaluru, using it to return after disposing of the body.

Kiran was arrested from Bengaluru on May 16, following leads gathered by the police. His interrogation led to the arrest of Ganapathi in Belthangady on Saturday and Sangeetha in Somwarpet on Sunday. The police have seized a machete, a knife, a club, and the vehicle used in the crime. Efforts are underway to apprehend others believed to have assisted the trio in evading arrest.

Clarifying a matter of public interest, SP Ramarajan stated that the deceased was not the same Sampath involved in the 2021 incident where eggs were thrown at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s convoy during his visit to Kodagu as Leader of the Opposition. While both Sampath and one of the accused, Ganapathi, were reportedly part of the conspiracy at the time, they were not among those who hurled eggs at Mr. Siddaramaiah’s vehicle.

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