Couple arrested for killing neighbour over trivial issue

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sep 24, 2014:  Police have arrested a couple from Daregudde Vittalagudde in Moodbidri in connection with the alleged murder of a neighbouring elderly man who was found dead in a canal under suspicious circumstances.

The arrest has been made on September 22, Monday, almost ten days after the body of the neighbour was traced on September 12.

The arrested are Maurice D’ Costa (58) and his wife Carmine D’Costa (50). They have been charged with killing their neighbour Raghu Bhandary (63) by hitting his head with a wooden club over a trivial issue.

What has been gathered now is that  the deceased Raghu Bhandary used to often object to the couple’s act of making a loud sound by hitting on a tin to shoo away wild animals that trespassed into their fields
and destroyed crops. Raghu’s argument was that the loud sound   used to disturb him at night.

However, when Maurice paid little heed and once again  made a loud sound on September 12 by hitting on the tin it infuriated Raghu leading to an altercation between him and the couple. It is learnt, Maurice who ran out of patience, snatched the wooden club which Raghu was holding in his hands and banged it on his head.

Though Raghu tried to escape, he collapsed enroute and  died. The couple realising that he had died had dumped his body in a nearby canal.

The body was traced by Raghu’s family the next day. As the body bore injury marks there were suspicions over the cause of the death and the same have now been cleared.

It is learnt, the arrested couple have confessed their crime. They have been produced before the court  which has remanded them to judicial custody for 15 days.