Murder of Malayali plantation owner Pradeep Koili in Kodagu: Five Karnataka natives arrested

IRITTY: Gonikoppal police have arrested five people in connection with the murder of plantation owner Pradeep Koili in Kodagu. The arrested are Mugutageri Ponnampet native NS Anil (25), Somwarpet native Deepak alias Deepu (21), Stephen D'Souza (26) of Nerugalale, HM Karthik (27) of Hittalmakki, and TS Harish (29) of Nalloor, Ponnampet. The police have recovered two bikes used in the crime, Rs 13,03,000 stolen from here, three mobile phones including that of the murdered Pradeep, and documents of Pradeep's properties from them. Pradeep Koili was found dead with a rope tied around his neck in his coffee plantation in Kodak on the 23rd of last month.

Murder to get rich quickly

The first accused in the case, Anil, wanted to marry a girl, but the girl's family rejected him as a person without a job, occupation or property. Police found that Anil had committed the crime with the aim of quickly acquiring money and property following this. The investigation team has also found that Anil had met many people with the aim of making money quickly and had deceived them by telling them that there was treasure in the land in Hassan and Ponnampet.

Anil had deceived an unmarried woman, some people living alone and some rich people in the Gonikoppal police station limits by pretending to be friends. Anil, who came to know from intermediaries that the murdered Pradeep Koili was single, owned a lot of property and was a Malayali, had met him with the intention of buying land. The accused, who said he wanted to buy Pradeep's property, had paid one lakh rupees in advance.