Wife among four arrested for murder of priest in Srirangapatna

Four arrested for the murder of Siddalingappa, a priest, in Srirangapatna. The crime is believed to be the outcome of an illicit affair.

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.