Karnataka: The shocking discovery of a burnt, unidentified body in a coffee plantation in Karnataka’s Kodagu district has exposed a shocking murder plot. Police investigations have revealed that 54-year-old businessman from Telangana, Ramesh, reported missing weeks earlier, was murdered by his wife, Niharika, her lover Nikhil and an accomplice, Ankur. The three were arrested after police linked the charred remains to Ramesh’s disappearance.
Body Discovered At Coffee Plantation
On October 8, Kodagu police found a severely burned body at a coffee plantation near Suntikoppa. Lacking initial clues, they scanned CCTV footage from the surrounding area and noticed a suspicious red Mercedes Benz, which was later traced to Ramesh. When police contacted his wife, Niharika, who had reported him missing, they grew suspicious and began investigating her further.
According to an NDTV report, as the investigation progressed, police identified Niharika as a key suspect. Taken into custody, she eventually confessed, implicating her lover, Nikhil, a veterinary doctor and Ankur, whom she had met during a previous imprisonment.
Niharika had a troubled past, marked by family difficulties, early marriage and involvement in financial fraud, which led to her imprisonment. She later met Ankur in prison and eventually married Ramesh, who provided her with a comfortable lifestyle.
Motive & Murder Plot
Police found that Niharika had demanded a large sum of money Rs 8 crore from Ramesh, who refused. Angered by this, she collaborated with Nikhil and Ankur to plot his murder, allegedly motivated by her desire for wealth, according to the report.
On October 1, the three strangled Ramesh to death in Uppal, Hyderabad. After taking cash from his residence, they drove with his body over 800 km to Kodagu, where they set it ablaze on a coffee estate and returned to Hyderabad. Niharika later filed a missing person report to deflect suspicion.
500 CCTVs Checked To Solve Murder Mystery
Kodagu police, led by Chief Ramarajan, faced challenges in identifying the body and tracking down the suspects due to the extent of destruction at the crime scene. However, analyzing CCTV footage from over 500 cameras, they traced the red Mercedes back to Telangana and confirmed it belonged to Ramesh. This evidence, combined with Niharika’s confession, led to the arrests.
