Short Film Director, Four Others Held for Murdering Kodagu Coffee Estate Owner

The incident occurred on April 23.

MADIKERI: In a chilling crime driven by greed and deceit, the Kodagu district police have arrested five men — including a short film director and actor — for allegedly murdering a 54-year-old coffee estate owner and looting his cash and documents to fund a lavish lifestyle and facilitate a marriage proposal.

District Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan said that the accused, led by 25-year-old NS Anil from Mugutagere in Ponnampet, killed Pradeep Koyli, a native of Kannur in Kerala, who lived alone on his sprawling 31-acre coffee estate near Kongana in B Shettigeri, Ponnampet taluk. Pradeep had no immediate heirs, making him a vulnerable target for the gang.

The incident occurred on April 23. According to police, Anil, who had aspirations of marrying a woman whose family had dismissed his proposal due to his lack of financial standing, plotted the crime to quickly accumulate wealth. He had reportedly convinced three different women to marry him. When one woman’s father objected due to his lack of assets, Anil began searching for rich estate owners living in isolation.

Although he came across two other such individuals, he did not target them as they had legal heirs. Eventually, he zeroed in on Pradeep Koyli and befriended him by pretending to help sell the estate. As a token of sincerity, Anil gave Pradeep an advance of ₹1 lakh on April 18.

Five days later, Anil returned to the estate with two associates — Deepak (21) from Abburukatte in Somwarpet and Stephen D’Souza (26) from Nerugalale — under the guise of introducing potential buyers. The trio then allegedly strangled Pradeep with a rope and decamped with ₹13 lakh in cash and several crucial property documents.

The other two accused — HM Karthik (27) from Hittalamakki and TS Harish (29) from Nallur — are believed to have assisted Anil after the crime.

Following the murder, Anil used ₹10 lakh from the stolen money to persuade the woman’s father to accept his proposal. He also gifted an iPhone to her sister and transferred ₹1 lakh to another woman he was in touch with.

SP Ramarajan said Anil had a history of cheating people in Bengaluru, Hassan, and Ponnampet by pretending to be an investor. Known for his work in short films, he often altered his appearance using contact lenses and other disguises. Notably, in this case, he avoided using his mobile phone, making it harder for investigators to track him.

The police believe that after committing the murder, Anil returned to the scene that night with the intention of burying the body, erasing CCTV footage, and stealing coffee from the estate to cover up the crime. However, the sudden presence of a police patrol vehicle forced him to flee. He then sought refuge in Bengaluru at the house of co-accused Harish.

The crime came to light only because estate workers visited the house on the day of the murder. Had the visit been delayed, Anil might have successfully destroyed evidence and vanished, the SP noted.

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