Karnataka: Man kills brother, sister-in-law over land dispute

A land dispute between two siblings turned ugly so much so that the younger brother hacked his elder brother and his wife to death in Karnataka's Mysore.

Mysore:A man and his wife were brutally hacked to death by his younger brother in Karnataka's Mysore village following a dispute over a piece of land. The gruesome murder took place at Nuggenahalli Koppalu village under T Narseepur taluk in Karnataka's Mysore district on Tuesday. After killing the accused with a spade, the assailant informed the police about his crime. Later, he walked up to the police station and surrendered.

The dispute between the siblings over farmland was going on for a long time. The elder brother Shivalingu (62) was not ready to share the 15 guntha of land with his younger brother Hanumantu (60). On several occasions, quarrels broke out between them and many times, the villagers intervened to resolve the matter. Several compromise meetings were held and villagers also tried to settle the dispute. But the outcome remained inconclusive.

On Tuesday, as usual, Shivalingu and Hanumantu were working in the field. Again an argument broke out between them which turned ugly. In a fit of rage, Hanumantu hit Shivalingu on his head with the spade. Shivalingu sustained a fatal head injury and died on the spot. Shivalingu's wife Bharati (55) rushed to save her husband but she was also attacked leading to her death. The couple died due to excessive bleeding, police said.

"There was a dispute between two brothers Shivalingu and Hanumantu over 15 guntha of land and the former was not ready to part with the said land. The accused Hanumantu often had quarrels with his elder brother as he was demanding his share of land. A case has been registered and the probe is underway," Mysore Superintendent of Police (SP) Seema Latkar said.