Vijayapura police arrested four people for allegedly killing Rajshekhar Biradar with an SUV. Investigators say his wife and her friend planned to disguise the murder as an accident.
Karnataka man killed in staged road accident; wife, her friend among 4 arrested (Representational)
Vijayapura,Oct 19, 2026 21:40 IST
Four people, including a 30-year-old woman, her male friend and a minor, have been arrested for allegedly killing her husband by running him over with an SUV and attempting to pass it off as a road accident in Karnataka, police told news agency Press Trust of India on Monday.
The arrested woman, Ashwini, and her 25-year-old friend, Anand Rautappa Kallur, allegedly conspired to kill her husband, 42-year-old Rajshekhar Biradar, police said.
Rajshekhar and Ashwini had been married for 10 years and have six-year-old twin sons. The family lived in Ekata Nagar in Vijayapura.
The case was initially registered as a road accident at the Vijayapura traffic police station on October 4 under Sections 281, relating to rash driving, and 106(1), relating to causing death by negligence, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
In her complaint, Ashwini claimed that Rajshekhar had gone for a walk between 5 am and 5.30 am on October 4 when an unidentified vehicle hit him, killing him on the spot. However, suspicions emerged during the investigation, Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi told Press Trust of India.
Police found that Rajshekhar and Ashwini had built a house about seven months earlier and hired Kallur to paint it. During his visits for the work, Kallur became acquainted with Ashwini and the two developed a friendship, the officer said.
Ashwini allegedly discussed killing her husband with Kallur, who agreed to the proposal. The two then allegedly planned to murder Rajshekhar and make it appear to be a road accident. Four people, including the minor, allegedly worked together to carry out the plan, police said.
According to the superintendent of police, Rajshekhar left home for his morning walk at around 5.30 am on October 4. When he reached a road near a car showroom on Jumanal Road in Vijayapura, Ashwini allegedly informed Kallur of his location.
Kallur allegedly followed Rajshekhar on a motorcycle and passed his location to his accomplices. Acting on the information, Sachin and the minor allegedly arrived in a black SUV without a number plate and ran Rajshekhar over from behind, killing him, the officer said.
Police arrested Ashwini, Kallur, Sachin and the minor after the investigation indicated that Rajshekhar's death was allegedly a planned murder staged as a road accident.
- Ends
With PTI inputs