A 39-year-old fisherman was hacked to death at his house in Bokkapatna near Bengre here on Monday. The police later arrested three persons in connection with the crime. The Panambur Police said that Shivaraj was sleeping on the terrace, while his brother Bharatesh, who is an accused in a murder and other criminal cases, was sleeping inside the house. At around 5 a.m., three men assaulted Shivaraj with sharp weapons, and an injured Shivaraj died while being taken to a private hospital in Kuntikana.
The police said that the assailants may have presumed Shivaraj to be Bharatesh and assaulted him. The police suspected that the three men could be associates of Aneesh, who has had a long-standing rivalry with Bharatesh.
The Central Crime Branch Police later arrested Sunil Poojary (32), Dheeraj (25), Mallesh (23) on the charge of murder.
The Panambur Police, who have taken the three men into custody, are now questioning them.
Bharatesh was accused in many criminal cases, including the murder of gangster Bejai Raja in 2012. He was sent to prison after being booked under the Goonda Act. Bharatesh was released early this month, the police added.
