A youth of V. Kota mandal headquarters went missing on January 5, 2021. After a gap of 15 months, the police zeroed in on a suspect, accused of “murdering” him.
Interestingly, the police and the family members of the “deceased” are making frantic efforts to trace the “body” in a village tank, but in vain, as the water body is brimming with water. This has kept the police in a dilemma over further criminal proceedings.
According to information, Naresh (28) and Ismail (23) of V. Kota were close friends, and both used to work as electricians. They developed enmity against each other, allegedly over an illicit affair. Naresh was also said to have owed some cash to Ismail. Naresh reportedly hatched a conspiracy to murder his former friend to clear the way to continue his relationship with a woman, whom Ismail also was familiar with.
On January 5, 2021, Ismail reportedly informed Naresh that he was coming to V. Kota, and demanded the clearing of the debt. Naresh reportedly took him to the local Keelapalli village tank near V. Kota, where the two reportedly consumed alcohol. Their conversation reportedly soon turned into a verbal duel, and in a fit of rage, Naresh allegedly hit Ismail’s head with a bottle. As his “death” was instantaneous, Naresh reportedly dragged the body to the dried-up sand bed of the water body and buried him in a sandpit. The family members of Ismail filed a missing complaint with the V. Kota police.
The V.Kota police picked up Naresh for questioning, after getting some vital clues about his missing friend. In this process, the police verified the call data and other technical information. This development after a gap of 15 months came as a shock to the family members of Ismail and the denizens of V. Kota.
Search for body
Based on the reported confession of the accused, the police, revenue, and fire department personnel reached the tank in search of the body on Tuesday. Following heavy rains in the region in 2021, the village tank is brimming with water; making it difficult to pin-point the spot where the body was reportedly buried.
Speaking to The Hindu, a senior police officer said that despite the confession of the suspect and a missing complaint from the family members, it would be technically difficult to proceed with the case, “in the absence of the body.” Though the police had initially undertaken a search for the body with expert swimmers, it was futile. Technically, the case is still under investigation, the official said.
Meanwhile, grief-stricken family members of Ismail and relatives kept continuing the search for the body by moving around the water body.
