Karkala: Even as the police continue to argue that no development has taken place in Bhasker Shetty murder case, sources say that absconding astrologer Niranjan Bhat who helped Rajeshwari and her son Navaneeth in disposing off Bhasker Shetty’s body has been nabbed and on Monday he was even brought to Nandalike amid tight security for spot identification and verification.
While there is ambiguity over the place where Bhat was nabbed (some say he was nabbed from Bidar and some say he was nabbed from Dharwad), Karkala area seems to have been turned into a fort by the police and hundreds of shocked and curious onlookers gathered around to have a glimpse of the man on whom the entire course of the sensational murder case rests now.
As per eyewitnesses though the police searched Kalkar river in Palli into which the accused had thrown away the sacks of ashes, the police failed to find any evidence, which means there are possibilities of Bhat misleading the police.
The police have reportedly found that the accused used huge quantity of petrol, camphor and ghee to burn Bhaskar’s body and the process went on from about 8 pm on July 28 until about 1 am, till the body had completely turned to ashes. Two other persons, one of them who has also been reportedly arrested, helped Niranjan fill the sacks, sources said.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that Niranjan’s father Srinivas may be booked for destruction of evidence. Niranjan and the helper are likely to be produced in court on Tuesday August 9, sources said.
Mentally ill woman
Meanwhile, some close to Rajeshwari Shetty say that she is a mentally disturbed woman, who some years ago used to claim that she was Goddess herself. It is said that Rajeshwari, who always had a penchant for occult practices such as black magic etc, used to dress up like Goddess, donning expensive silk saree and heavy ornaments and claiming that she was being possessed by Goddess. Following this, she had developed closeness with an astrologer in Belman. It is also said that one of her brothers in-law had even beaten up the astrologer for trying to misuse the lady and a case was also registered in this regard.
Bhasker Shetty, a Saudi based businessman and owner of Durga International Hotel in Udupi went missing on July 28 and soon the pin of suspicion pointed at his wife Rajeshwari and son Navaneeth. The two were arrested and produced before the Court on Monday. The remorseless duo has confessed to the crime and also revealed the gory details of the killing, but what leaves the police jittery is the fact that they have not been able to establish the case yet as the dead body of Shetty is yet to be traced.
