3 min readBengaluruAug 13, 2025 02:23 PM IST
First published on: Aug 13, 2025 at 02:12 PM IST
An excavation in Karnataka’s Hassan has uncovered a murder mystery that lay hidden underground for two years. The murder unravelled after the death of Gangadhar, 55, due to illness on August 2 in Santebasavanahalli village under the Alur taluk of the Hassan district.
Gangadhar had two sons — Raghavendra, 32, who worked with the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), and Rupesh, who stayed at home.
Following Gangadhar’s death, relatives started reaching out to Raghavendra, his elder son, but they could not contact him even as Rupesh handled the funeral arrangements. However, their relatives became suspicious.
“What kind of son doesn’t come even when his father dies?” asked one of them.
They asked Rupesh, a special needs person, to call Raghavendra for the ceremony to be held on the third day of their father’s death. When the pressure from the family members mounted, Rupesh tried to deflect them by giving incorrect phone numbers, making their relatives suspicious.
They then informed the police.
A threat and quiet burial
When the Aluru police interrogated Rupesh on August 6, he told them his father had killed Raghavendra in 2023, and buried him in their house. He told the police his older brother was addicted to online games and gambling, and had been suspended from his job. Rupesh also told them he owed money to people.
Raghavendra, who had divorced his wife, believed his father was wealthy, and asked for money. Gangadhar, whose wife died five years ago, owned five to six acres of fertile land and a shop.
“He came back from Bengaluru, and constantly demanded money from his father. During a fight that took place two years ago, Gangadhar killed Raghavendra,” said a police officer.
Gangadhar kept Raghavendra’s body at home for two days. On the third day, he intimidated and threatened his younger son and buried the body in a charcoal pit behind the house. “Rupesh said when he learned about the murder, his father threatened him that he would kill him,” said the police officer.
Rupesh helped his father bury his brother’s body and did not tell anyone about his murder, said the officer.
Based on Rupesh’s statement and complaints from relatives, the Aluru police conducted an exhumation process Tuesday. They discovered a human skeleton in a place Rupesh had pointed to. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) collected the bones for further examination.
“We will conduct DNA tests and bone marrow tests, which will give a clear picture of whether the skeletal remains were of Raghu,” a police officer said.
The police have registered a murder case and taken Rupesh into custody. They said they are conducting a further investigation into the murder.
When the Aluru police interrogated Rupesh on August 6, he told them his father had killed his (Rupesh's) brother Raghavendra in 2023, and buried him in their house. (Videograb) 
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