Within four days of the murder of a 40-year-old woman from Pandeshwar, the city police arrested a 36-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman, his live-in partner, for their alleged involvement in the murder.
Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil gave the names of the accused as Jonas Jolin Samson (36) and Victoria Mathais (46). Both were staying in a house in Sooterpetin Valencia.
Mr. Patil said the 40-year-old victim Shreemati Shetty, who ran an electrical shop in Attavar, had lent ₹1 lakh to Samson, who ran a fast food joint in Nandigudde. Samson had cleared ₹40,000 and was finding it hard to clear the remaining debt of ₹60,000, due to loss making business and subsequent closure of the fast food joint a month ago.
On May 11 morning, Shetty went to Samson's house for seeking return of the money. Samson hacked Shetty to death in presence of Mathais. In the early hours of May 12, Samson chopped her body into three pieces and disposed them off in three different places of the city, Mr. Patil told reporters on Wednesday.
Shetty’s head and upper part of the body were found near a fruit stall, between Paduva college junction and KPT junction, off the National Highway 66 on May 12 morning. The police recovered her legs near a small park in Padua junction. Some other body parts were recovered by police from Nandigudde. Victim's two wheeler was found abandoned in Naguri.
A team of 30 police personnel were formed to trace the culprits. The team included Deputy Commissioners of Police Hanumantharaya and Lakshmi Ganesh K., Assistant Commissioner of Police (Central) Sudhir Hegde, two police inspectors and some probationary sub-inspectors.
Following extensive field work and interrogation of people close to the victim, Mr. Patil said they got information about the financial transaction between Shetty and Samson. The mobile phone analysis and other technical data showed presence of victim in Samson's house on May 11.
When the police team went to arrest Samson on Tuesday, the latter reportedly attempted to harm himself and commit suicide. The police admitted him to a private hospital in Kankanady. The police questioned Mathais, who reportedly admitted of financial transaction and of the murder in the house.
The police have recovered from him eight gold rings and a gold necklace of the victim. Samson was an accused in case of murder in 2010 registered at the Mangaluru South police station. He will be questioned for more details after recovering from the self inflicted injury.