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Udupi, No. 23: ’Praveen Chowgule was able to kill four people one by one as they came to stop one after the other’ said Udupi District Superintendent of Police Dr. K. Arun.

In a press conference called today at the Udupi SP office, Dr. K. Arun disclosed the complete details of the massacre of four members of the same family in Nejar, near Santhekatte, Kallianpur under Malpe Police Station limit.

Praveen who came inside the house first attacked Ainaz and stabbed her with a knife. He attacked the mother who came out of the room hearing her screams. He also stabbed and murdered Afnan, who came to hear his mother’s cries. Aseem, who was playing outside, ran inside the house after hearing all of them yelling. Praveen stabbed him near the door. He explained that he killed four people one by one.

Accused Praveen Chowgule and victim Ainaz had worked together for about eight months and both of them knew each other. Both of them have gone abroad on duty 8-10 times in the same flight. SP said that friendship grew between them due to this.

Accused Praveen also helped Ainaz in different ways. He helped her find a rented house in Mangalore and gave her his scooter to drive around. Meanwhile, a month ago, Ainaz had distanced herself from Praveen without speaking properly. He was disturbed by this, and he had prepared for her murder due to his extreme infatuation with her and his desire to be under his control.

Having planned in every way, Praveen left home for Udupi early in the morning on Nov. 12, stopped the car before getting CCTV footage at Hejmadi tollgate and came to Nejar by bus, auto rickshaw and bike, SP said.

Even after the murder, he went back by a different route and burnt the blood stained cloth near Mulki. After going home, he got treated at the hospital and disposed of the items used in the crime. The SP informed that he had brought back the kitchen knife used in the crime so that no one would suspect it.

To a query, SP said that it is known from the investigation that there is no one else behind him. The accused was hiding in a relative’s house in Belgaum, and the family did not know that he had committed this act. We have already interrogated that family. He informed that more inquiries will be made in the future.

Whether Praveen has consumed drugs needs to be confirmed by medical examination. Whether the two are in love with each other is yet to be confirmed. All their mobiles have been confiscated and are being checked. He said that we will present technical evidence and data to the court about the fact that his mobile was on when he came to commit the murder.

We have already completed all kinds of investigations. Again there is no need to take the accused into custody. Some necessary evidence is collected. Some more evidence needs to be gathered. 70-80 days left to submit charge sheet. Before that, if any evidence is found, it will be produced in court, he said.

In this case, all of our police team performed their duty with great responsibility and honesty. The superiors will announce the prize for this team as soon as possible. Rs. 1.5 lakh cash reward is recommended. He said that more than 50 people have worked hard in this team.

In 2007, Praveen Chowgule joined the Pune City Police and while undergoing training, he got a job with Air India Express. He left his job there and joined here because the salary was higher than police work. He said that he has worked in Air India Express since 2008.

His wife knew that Praveen was friends with different girls. She spoke not only to Ainaz but also to other colleagues. The accused was taken to Belagavi and Sangli and was not held there. He informed that only Mangalore and Udupi have done the investigation work.

All the mobile phones have been sent to the forensic science laboratory to investigate Hasina’s financial affairs. When we inquired about this matter, we got some information. In this regard, SP Dr. Arun said that after receiving a separate complaint from the family, they will check the transfer of money and action will be taken.

The family has been very cooperative with the investigation. They have told us the truth they know. This helped in tracing the accused. We will try to appoint a special PP before submitting the charge sheet in the case. He said that the government will be requested to establish a speedy court in the same way.

A couple of murders is the big deal. In particular, four people were killed here. This whole case was a big challenge for us. As four people were murdered, we did not know who the target of the accused was. SP Dr. Arun said that it was not known whether the whole family or only one accused was the target.

In the meantime, there was outrage in the society as well. There was pressure on us to crack the case as soon as possible. He said that after checking one issue at a time and investigating it from various dimensions, it came to know who the main target of the accused is.

He was also investigated for his involvement in illegal activities at the airport. But there is no information about that. We checked his bank accounts. The SP informed that he has acquired property within the limit of his salary.

Investigation revealed that Praveen has no criminal background. It is confirmed that he committed the murder out of jealousy and infatuation with her. There is no information about whether the accused had come home before. He said that he found the location online and came home.

As Praveen Chowgule is an accused in a serious case, we have requested the concerned to provide him more security in the jail. Accordingly, SP Dr. Arun said that he has been kept in a separate cell as a precautionary measure.

When such a serious case happens, if there is unrest in the society, we should have paid attention to law and order. This would have delayed the investigation. But the public has cooperated a lot without giving permission for all this. Locals did not even celebrate Diwali festival in the environment, Dr. Arun K., District Superintendent of Police said.

District Additional SP ST Siddhalingappa was present in the press conference.