Mangaluru: A 50-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a 39-year-old acquaintance following a dispute over a mobile phone in Thota Bengre, Mangaluru, in September 2024. The Second Additional District and Sessions Court also imposed a fine of ₹15,000 on the convict.
The accused, Dharmaraj Suvarna, a resident of Thota Bengre, was convicted of murdering Muthu Basavaraj Waddar, also known as Mudukappa, a native of Bagalkot. Judge Jagadeesh pronounced the verdict on October 12, 2026.
The court sentenced Suvarna under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). It also ordered that he undergo an additional six months of simple imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.
Dispute over mobile phone led to murder
According to the prosecution, Suvarna and Waddar were acquaintances. The dispute reportedly began after Waddar took a newly purchased mobile phone belonging to Suvarna and allegedly damaged it without returning it.
The disagreement escalated into a violent confrontation on September 21, 2024. At around 10 am, Suvarna allegedly attacked Waddar with a wooden log near the seashore behind the Bobbarya Daivasthana in Thota Bengre.
The assault proved fatal, and Waddar died at the scene.
Accused arrested in Kerala
Following a complaint filed by Hanumantha Durgappa Waddar, Panambur police registered a murder case and launched an investigation.
After the incident, Suvarna reportedly fled Karnataka. Police traced him to the limits of Chombala police station in Kozhikode district, Kerala, where he was arrested in the early hours of September 26, 2024.
Panambur police inspector Mohammed Saleem Abbas conducted the initial investigation. After provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were added to the case, further investigation was taken over by ACP K. Srikanth of the Mangaluru North Sub-Division.
The investigating team subsequently completed the probe and filed a chargesheet before the court.
Prosecution presents its case
Special Public Prosecutor Jyothi Pramod Nayak represented the State during the proceedings.
After hearing the case, the court convicted Suvarna and handed down the life sentence, along with the monetary penalty.
The verdict brings the trial to a conclusion at the sessions court level, with the sentence reflecting the court’s findings in the murder case.