A 70-year-old seer of Ananda Mutt, situated at Santhehalli village in Malur taluk of Kolar district, was bludgeoned to death allegedly by a rival group over a property row early on Saturday.
The Malur police, led by Superintendent of Police M. Narayana, tracked down the accused who were fleeing to Kolkata within hours.
The deceased was identified as Swami Chinmayananda. According to the police, he was in the restroom when the accused [Arun Kumar, 55, Dharma Pranavananda Swamy,45, and Praneshwarananda Swamy, 48] armed with lathis, allegedly barged in, and assaulted the victim before fleeing the spot.
The profusely bleeding Chinmayananda was rushed to R.L. Jalappa hospital where he succumbed before recording his statement.
A preliminary inquiry revealed there was a civil dispute over the mutt property and administration of the polytechnic, which was the reason for murder. The case has been pending before the court for many years.
The police have made elaborate security arrangements to ensure law and order as tense situation prevailed for some time as news of the death spread in the village.
“The situation is peaceful and the accused have been taken into custody and all digital evidence and sticks have been seized for further investigation,” said an officer.
