Police in Daduad district arrested a man and three of his companions on charges of arranging the murder of his 43-year-old wife, who was killed after being hit by a car on February 26, officers said on Tuesday.
Dadwad Superintendent of Police Gunjan Arya said the accused are Uday Hataraji, Nagappa Padikkal, Abhishek Varaganavar and Nagaraj Upen.
Uday and his victim wife, Lalita Hataraji, were involved in long-drawn divorce proceedings, the lawyer said, adding that she had asked for two acres of farmland as part of the settlement.
According to Inspector SS Kamataji, who led the investigation, Uday allegedly asked Lalita to meet him on February 26 near Aminabhavi village to settle the dispute out of court. As she was walking along Savadati Road, a speeding Thar car allegedly hit her from behind, killing her instantly, before she fled the scene.
The incident was recorded on the dashboard camera of the passing bus, and its driver informed the police, SP Arya said. She added: “The number plate of the Thar Jeep was removed, which prompted investigators to dig deeper to find the facts.”. (How was the jeep tracked? Was a hit-and-run case filed?)
The matter was initially registered as a hit-and-run incident, the SP said, adding that a murder investigation was opened after the victim’s father filed a complaint alleging that his daughter was murdered.
Inspector Kamataji said investigations indicated that Hataraji had approached Nagappa Padikkal with the plan, who proceeded to recruit the other accused. Hattaragi allegedly offered a sum of $40 lakhs for successful completion of the scheme. He also arranged the car used in the crime.
Police said another suspect is still at large, and efforts are underway to track him down. The case has now been registered under Section 103 (murder) and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
