Karnataka: Diary of murdered Jain monk found, shows accused borrowed ₹6 lakh, say police

A diary belonging to the murdered Jain monk Kamakumar of Nandi Aashram in Hirekodi town was found during investigation, the Belagavi police said on Friday

Belagavi: A diary belonging to the murdered Jain monk Kamakumar of Nandi Aashram in Hirekodi town was found during investigation, the Belagavi police said on Friday.

The accused who had borrowed money from the Jain monk allegedly killed him when the monk asked to return the money. (Representational Image)

The murder accused, Narayan Mali from Raibag, and Hassansab Dalayat from Chikkodi taluk during inquiry had revealed that they had burnt their blood-stained clothes and the monk’s diary and led the police to where they buried the ashes, police said.

According to the police, they collected the ashes and sent them to the forensic laboratory in Bengaluru, where the report revealed that the ashes contained no paper but only burnt clothes.

Further investigation led to the discovery of the monk’s personal diary in his room at the Aashram. It contained financial transactions and dealings, including the money spent on constructing the residential school within the Aashram’s campus and the names of individuals who received loans from the monk. Narayan Mali, the prime accused, was among those who obtained a loan in lakhs from the monk.

The team, according to a member from the special investigation squad told HT: “The accused who misled the team disclosed the facts after we used our own investigative theory. After searching the Aashram, with the permission of the management committee, the team recovered the personal diary of the monk from the room he used to rest.”

The recovered diary which the investigating team copied for further investigation before producing it to the court found hundreds obtained loans, a few among them in lakhs. “The monk, in the diary, has maintained the financial transaction of those who obtained a loan and also about the date and the amount of their repayment,” said the DySP rank officer.

Mali, who resided in Khatakabhavi in Raibag taluk, was close to the monk and often supplied sand to the residential school construction project. He engaged in illegal sand mining without the monk’s knowledge and used the sand for the project, leading to him obtaining a loan for a JCB. Additionally, he secured an additional loan of ₹ 6 lakh from the monk, which was documented in the recovered diary, said the officer.

The monk, wanting to finish the construction of the Aashram residential school, instructed all those who had obtained loans to settle the matter promptly. However, Mali, unable to handle the alleged mental pressure from the monk, planned to eliminate him and sought help from Hassansab Dalayat. “On July 6, both accused took the monk out on a bike and murdered him in Khadakbhavi village. They then dismembered the body, wrapped it in a saree and towel, and dumped it in an unused bore well,” the officer said.

The accused were apprehended the next day and confessed to the crime, albeit misleadingly at first. After revealing the truth, the pieces of the monk’s body were found inside the bore well.

As a precaution, additional security personnel were assigned Narayan Mali while in custody as he expressed suicidal tendencies. The investigating team has produced the accused before the court, and they have been remanded to judicial custody until July 22. The state government has handed over the case investigation to the CID.