Karnataka: Drunk kills friend, tries to burn body

MANGALURU: A person, who murdered his best friend in a drunken brawl, later tried to burn the body in his backyard in Punchalakadu, Kaup, Udupi district. The incident took place on Friday evening and the accused has been arrested, said police.
The victim is Hemanth Poojary, 45, a resident of Yermal and the accused is Albert D’Souza, 55, a resident of Punchalakadu. While the accused is a driver, the victim was unemployed.
Police said the duo were close friends and used to drink together. On Friday afternoon, both got drunk after visiting a bar in Kaup and they came to Albert’s house. Albert is a bachelor and stayed alone.
After reaching home, both quarrelled over a petty issue. In the melee, police said Albert hit Hemanth’s head with a log and he died instantly. To hide the crime, Albert took the body to the backyard and tried to burn it using wood. However, locals who saw billowing smoke grew suspicious and informed police in the evening.
Police doused the fire after visiting the spot. Several parts of the body were charred and have been sent for post-mortem. Before police arrived, Albert had fled and was arrested on Saturday morning. Shirva police are investigating.