The Udupi and Belagavi police have arrested Praveen Chaugule, the main suspect in the Udupi quadruple murder case, where a Muslim family of four was killed. Chaugule, who hails from Sangli, Maharashtra, was working as a security staff at Air India in Mangaluru, where he knew Afnan (23), one of the victims.
The police said that Praveen was arrested with the help of mobile tower location tracking. Udupi Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar said, “We are verifying multiple suspects. We are likely to get a clear picture tomorrow (Wednesday).”
On 12th November, a Muslim family of four was brutally killed in Udupi, Karnataka, by a masked intruder, who stabbed them repeatedly in their chests and abdomen. The victims were Afnan, an Air hostess, her sister Ainaz, a student, their mother Haseena, and their brother Aseem.
A neighbour, who heard the screams of the family, tried to help them, but the attacker threatened her with a knife and fled. The only survivor was Afnan’s grandmother, Hajira, who locked herself in the bathroom, despite being injured. She was taken to the hospital and has now recovered.
Aseem, the youngest sibling, was killed when he came back to the house during the attack. According to the police, the assailant was wearing a mask, he had forcefully entered the house.
The police are probing multiple angles in the Udupi quadruple murder case, including gold smuggling. The family had a lot of gold ornaments, which were missing from the house after the attack.
Also, suggestions of unrequited love have come to light after Praveen Chaugule, the killer, confessed being in love with Ainaz, one of the victims, who had rejected him.
Rumors of a professional assassin are also rampant, as the killer had planned the attack carefully and had escaped from the police by changing his mode of transport and location several times. The killer also seemed to know the victims and their house well.
There were unverified claims that Chaugule was a former CRPF policeman.
The killer was arrested after two days of intensive search by the police, who had tracked his mobile tower location. He was caught in the Kudachi area of Rayabhaga taluk, Belagavi district, by a joint operation of the Udupi and Belagavi police.
