BENGALURU/GADAG: The Gadag police have solved the mystery behind the four murders that occurred on April 19. Eight individuals, including the mastermind Vinayak Bakale, have been arrested. Vinayak allegedly offered a contract worth Rs 65 lakh to assailants to eliminate his parents and brother, Karthik Bakale.
The plan did not go as intended, and the parents survived. Unfortunately, Karthik Bakale and other close relatives were brutally murdered in the early hours of April 19.
The victims, Karthik (27), Parashuram Hadimani (55), Lakshmi Hadimani (45), and Akanksha Hadimani (16), were found dead at Dasara Oni in Gadag, according to the police.
Karthik was the son of BJP leader Prakash Bakale and Sunanda Bakale, who serves as the vice-president of the Gadag-Betageri City Municipal Council.
Police sources revealed that Karthik’s upcoming marriage had attracted the Hadimani family to the event. Despite the intact jewelry, valuables, and cash in the house, authorities suspected that the motive was not robbery but something more sinister.
A property dispute among the siblings was believed to be the driving force behind the murders. Prakash intended to pass on all his properties to Karthik, which allegedly angered Vinayak, leading him to orchestrate the killings of his parents and brother.
On Monday, Inspector General of Police (North Zone) Vikas Kumar announced the arrest of Vinayak Prakash Bakale (35), Fairoz Khazi (29), Jishan Khazi (24), all from Gadag; twin brothers Sahil Ashfaq Khazi (19), Sohail Ashfaq Khazi (19), Sultan Jilani Sheikh (23), Mahesh Jagannath Salunke (21) and Waheed Liyaqat Bepari (21), all from Miraj in Sangli district of Maharashtra.
Vinayak had awarded a contract worth Rs 65 lakh to Fairoz, who was responsible for arranging vehicles, weapons, and conducting surveillance, according to Kumar.
The attackers entered the house under the assumption that only three individuals were present, the IGP explained, noting that Vinayak’s parents and brother were the intended targets.
The agreement between Vinayak and the hired killers stipulated that the contract killers would receive the proceeds from the robbery after eliminating the trio.
“Vinayak tasked Fairoz with eliminating his parents and brother, Karthik. Fairoz coordinated the entire operation with his gang. The plan was short-term, but when Prakash Bakale raised an alarm, the assailants panicked and fled the scene. Bakale was also a target,” IGP Vikas Kumar revealed.
Four of the suspects were apprehended in Miraj, while the rest were captured in Gadag. Vinayak attempted to flee when he was apprehended, the police officer added.
