Double Murder in Kusugal: Loud Music Used to Mask Brutal Killings

Hubballi: In a shocking incident, a son, harassing his father to transfer property in his name, brutally murdered his father and stepmother in Kusugal village in Hubballi taluk. 

The victims are Ashok Hanumantappa Kobbannavar (55) and Sharadamma Ashok Kobbannavar (42), residents of Basaveshwar Nagar in Kusugal village.

The accused son, Gangadhar Kobbannavar (25), fled after committing the crime. It is reported that the brutal act was carried out with loud music playing to muffle the sounds of his parents' screams, ensuring that neighbors would not hear. Villagers were horrified to discover the couple lying in a pool of blood.

Gangadhar is the only son of Ashok. His biological mother, Shantamma, had passed away ten years ago. After her demise, Gangadhar had left home and settled in Bagalkot. Meanwhile, his father, Ashok, remarried and continued living in the village.

Unable to accept his father's second marriage, Gangadhar frequently visited the village and quarreled over the property. Out of the three acres of farmland, Ashok had sold one acre a few years ago. Gangadhar had been pressuring his father to transfer the remaining two acres to his name. This dispute escalated into a violent argument on Thursday night, leading to Gangadhar attacking his father and stepmother with an iron rod and killing them.

Ashok's brother, Shekappa, revealed that there had been ongoing disputes between the father and son regarding the remaining two acres and 11 guntas of land. Village elders had attempted to mediate and resolve the issue, but the quarrels persisted.

Rural police, led by Inspector Murugesh Channannavar, visited the crime scene for investigation. The house was locked, and the bodies were sent to KMCRI hospital for postmortem. Dharwad SP Gopal Byakod stated that a special team has been formed to apprehend the accused, and he assured that the culprit would be arrested soon.