Four people arrested on murder charge

Kolar, Karnataka, July 18 (UNI) Four people, who murdered gullible sheep merchants by posing as sheep buyers, were arrested and the bodies of three of their victims were recovered by the police in this district of Karnataka, yesterday.

Police said the gang, after striking a deal with the victims, invited them to a remote place for the settlement, gave them sedative-laced cool drinks and murdered them by injecting poison.

The culprits then used to burn the clothes of the victims to destroy evidence and bury them.

The crime came to light when the family members of Ramesh (40) and Gulappa (35), who had gone to sell sheep in the weekly market on Friday and did not return even after two days, went in search of them. After enquiring with the villagers, they found the buried bodies of Ramesh and Gulappa near a thatched hut.

Based on the information provided by the arrested, police recovered another body -- that of vegetable merchant S Chandrasekhar of Achapalli village.

The arrested were Venkateshappa of nearby village Malur, Muniyappa, his son-in-law Karthik and his brother-in-law Ramesh.

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