Karnataka Police arrest 61-year-old ex-patient for murdering Ayurvedic doctor over wedding gold

Investigators said Manjunath Naik contacted Kalagutkar as a patient a few months ago, and the relationship gradually developed into a personal acquaintance. The police also said Naik had earlier claimed to run a small, unsuccessful hotel business in Shivamogga and frequently travelled for work.

“The accused visited the victim multiple times as a patient and was known to him. He had earlier claimed to run an unsuccessful hotel business. Since the victim lived alone, he had asked the accused to come over and cook dinner. During this time, the victim is believed to have shown him jewellery and cash. Our investigation indicates the accused was aware of the victim’s personal plans and financial transactions,” a police officer said.

The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Sunday and came to light later that evening when relatives arrived at Kalagutkar’s house for pre-wedding preparations. They found the door locked from the outside and received no response. After breaking it open, they found Ramesh dead with severe head injuries.

The police said Kalagutkar was to marry his late wife’s sister at the Manjuguni Venkataramana Temple Monday, and preparations for the ceremony were underway. Kalagutkar had lived in New KHB Colony in Sirsi alone following his wife’s death eight months ago.

He is survived by two children — one studying engineering in Bengaluru and the other working as a doctor in West Bengal.

Preliminary findings suggested that Kalagutkar had recently retrieved jewellery belonging to his deceased wife from a bank before his remarriage, strengthening suspicion of a robbery motive.

The Sirsi police said they formed teams immediately after the crime, tracked, and arrested the accused within 24 hours. They also examined CCTV footage from nearby areas to trace movements around the house. Forensic teams also visited the spot and collected evidence to aid the investigation.

The police said further investigation is underway to recover the stolen valuables and verify the sequence of events.