Software engineer, friend held for torturing elderly Muslim man in Karnataka

The arrested are Sagar Shetty Kalki, 24, a software engineer and Narasappa, 25, both residents of Gangavathi.

“The accused have confessed to taking Husensab near the railway underpass, assaulting him and robbing him. However, we have not found any evidence of the men putting Husensab’s beard on fire nor forcing him to chant ‘Jai Shriram’,” the officer said.

She said the accused who were in a drunken state allowed Husensab to ride in their vehicle and when he reached his destination, the man pulled Narasappa’s cap indicating to them to stop. “Furious over it, the accused took him near a railway underpass and assaulted him,” Vantigodi said.

In the complaint, Husensab said that he was initially abused and assaulted. He said that he told the men that he had a poor eyesight and pleaded to allow him to go back to his house.

“They hit my head with a glass bottle and then used the glass piece to cut my beard. They forced me to chant Jai Shri Ram and threatened me with dire consequences if I did not obey. Then, they also tried to singe my beard. Later, they hit me and I fell on the ground. A shepherd nearby screamed when they tried to hit my head with a stone. Then they fled from the spot. The shepherd then took me with him and called my daughter,” he said in the complaint.

Gangavathi town police have registered a case under sections 394 (robbery) and 307 (attempt to murder) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).