Daylight Murder in Karnataka’s Gadag: Police Arrest 4 Accused, Uncover Motive

An FIR has been registered under Indian Penal Code section 302 (punishment for murder).

According to Gadag Police, Minaaz Bepari and her husband were accused of having been associated with a murder case from 2020. They were both released on bail a few months ago.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

In a gruesome daylight murder in Gadag, Karnataka, a 35-year-old Muslim woman, identified as Minaaz Bepari, was killed allegedly by four armed men on Tuesday, 4 October.

The woman was attacked with lethal weapons at Mulgund Naka in Gadag. A wounded Bepari was then taken to a nearby hospital, but was declared brought dead. The Gadag Town Police made arrests of the four accused who were allegedly involved in the murder.

However, the case was first considered to be a hate crime as Bepari had adopted Islam late in her adult life. The Gadag Police have denied this claim and has said that the murder could be a revenge crime.

What’s the Case?

Sources in the police department told The Quint that Bepari had converted to Islam a few years ago and that her name before conversion was Shobha Lambani.

According to the police, Bepari and her husband were accused of having been associated with a murder case from 2020. They were both released on bail a few months ago.

The Quint was told that the deceased's brother along with his three associates, attacked Bepari with a lethal weapon when she was walking out of a shop.

The accused have been identified as Chetan Hulakannavar, Shrinivas Shinde, Kumar Maranabasari, and Rohan B.

Initially, the murder was seen as a hate crime, as the victim had converted to Islam. It was accused that she was murdered for having adopted Islam. However, the police have denied this report and clarified that the victim was murdered as she and her husband were accused in the murder of Chetan Hulakannavar's brother.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under sections 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).