Wife among four arrested for murder of priest in Srirangapatna

The Mandya district police have arrested four persons, including the wife of the deceased, in the murder of Siddalingappa, a priest of Maralagalu village in Srirangapatna, in Karnataka.

On March 6, Siddalingappa left home around 4 p.m. to perform a pooja at the Ganapathi temple in K. Shettihalli village. He did not return that night, and his mobile phone was switched off.

When relatives began searching for him, they found his slippers near a canal on the village road. His rudraksha, crystal bead chains and pendants, which he customarily wore, were found scattered nearby, along with bloodstains on the grass. His motorcycle was submerged in the canal.

Despite searching throughout the night, Siddalingappa could not be located. When the search resumed the following morning on March 7, his body was found lodged in the canal’s sluice gate.

“The body had only an undergarment on it. Injuries were visible on the face and head, indicating that unknown persons had assaulted and murdered him,” police said.

Based on a complaint by the priest’s brother Balasundar, a case was registered at the Srirangapatna Rural Police Station under Sections 103(1) and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, relating to murder and destruction of evidence.

Mandya Superintendent of Police Dr. Shobharani launched an investigation. and formed a special team to trace the accused

Siddalingappa was married to Shalini, his sister’s daughter. The couple had two children. The police learnt that Shalini was allegedly in an illicit relationship with Harish, a tipper lorry driver from the same village.

When Harish was questioned on March 9, he disclosed that he and Shalini had once been caught together by the priest at his residence. Following the incident, the priest had allegedly subjected both of them to persistent harassment, which led Shalini to instigate Harish to eliminate her husband.

On March 6, as Siddalingappa left home for work, Shalini sent messages to Harish informing him of the priest’s departure, and his expected time of return. Harish’s friend and fellow lorry driver Ganesh M.R. alerted Harish when the priest was heading back to his home alone on his motorcycle

Harish and another lorry driver, Santosh Kumar, intercepted Siddalingappa at a deserted spot near the canal, about 1 km away from the village, and beat the priest to death with sticks. To make the murder appear accidental, they pushed the body and the motorcycle into the canal.

Harish (32) was produced before the Srirangapatna JMFC court, which remanded him to police custody for further investigation. The remaining accused — Shalini (32), Ganesh Kumar (29), and Santosh Kumar (29) — were arrested on March 1-.

“During interrogation, the accused confessed to committing the murder,” police informed, adding that mobile phones used in the crime have been seized.

Dr. Shobharani commended the staff of the Srirangapatna sub-division police for successfully cracking the case and securing the arrest of all four accused.

Published – March 11, 2026 02:36 pm IST