MANGALURU: Coastalwood actor and rowdy sheeter Surendra Bantwal, 39, was brutally murdered inside his apartment in Bantwal taluk on Wednesday. His body was found with multiple stab wounds lying on a sofa. It is suspected that he was hacked to death due to a financial issue.
According to Bantwal Town inspector and investigating officer TD Nagaraj, a preliminary investigation suggested that he was hacked to death with lethal weapons. Financial dealing is suspected to be the cause of the murder. Teams have been formed to investigate and examine the case from all possible angles. Experts from fingerprint and forensic were pressed into action along with the dog squad, he said.
The police said that Surendra had around 15 criminal cases against him. In 2018, the actor had been arrested for attacking two party workers of the BJP with a machete. A video of the assault had been widely circulated on social media.
Almost a decade ago, he was identified as a right-wing activist, but during the last election, he was seen in the Congress camp. Sources said he was a money lender. A person close to him is suspected to have committed the murder. Police are also looking into his alleged participation in a party last evening. As soon as the news spread about his murder, people gathered in large numbers near the apartment.