Police have arrested three persons for allegedly murdering a pregnant woman at a village in this district, and the possibility of rape before killing her is not ruled out. Nagamma, in her early 20s, and second wife of Enjanappa, a gram panchayat member at Chandragiri village, was murdered last week, police said. Two brothers of Enjanappa’s 35-year-old first wife and their father — have been arrested while five others were absconding. One of the arrested told police during interrogation that an accused at large had raped Nagamma. Nagamma’s grand-mother had complained to police that she had been abducted by brothers of Enjanappa’s first wife, her father and friends, totally numbering eight. Police later found the body buried at nearby Bijanakere and exhumed it. Samples have been sent to a forensic lab and the result is awaited. Police said the first wife’s brother and father feared that if Enjanappa’s second wife delivered a baby boy, the family’s property would be inherited by him, depriving the three daughters of his first wife. PTI
