Draft:Nejaru (Mother & daughter/son) Murder Case

On Sunday, November 12, 2023, in a suburban area of Nejaru near Udupi, a mother (Hasina Mohammed, 48), her two daughters (Afnan Mohammed, 23 & Aynaz Mohammed, 21) and her son (Aseem Mohammed, 13) were brutally attacked by an assailant (Praveen Arun Chougule, 35) with a sharp weapon, killing all four of them, and also, injuring mother-in-law of the mother (Hajira, 70).

Background

Mr. Noor Mohammed, hailing from Haikadi, and Hasina, originally from Kodi Bengre near Hoode, built their lives in Nejaru-Tripti Layout over the past 15 years. Noor Mohammed, employed in Saudi Arabia for 35 years, has two sons and two daughters. Afnan worked as a logistician in Mangalore, Aynaz served as a flight attendant for Air India, and Aseem was an eighth-grade student. The family had spent several years in Saudi Arabia with Noor Mohammed.

Murder

The chilling incident unfolded at around 8:30 AM IST on Sunday, November 12, 2023 when the assailant broke into Hasina's home, stabbing her and her daughters. Hasina's younger son, Aseem (12), who heard the commotion while cycling outside, was also stabbed to death. Hasina’s Mother-in-law, Hajira, narrowly escaped by locking herself in the toilet. Hajira, despite police instructions, remained in the locked toilet out of fear. Upon forced entry by the police, they discovered her injured but alive.

Initial Police investigations unveiled that the assailant used an auto-rickshaw to reach Tripti Layout in Nejaru, committing the murders within 15 minutes. Post-crime, the assailant stopped a passing motorcycle on Kemmannu-Nejaru road, reached Santhekatte, and eventually made his way to Udupi Karavali Bypass. CCTV footage captured the killer, masked and carrying a bag.

Between 8:30 am and 9 am, an auto-rickshaw driver, Shyam Nejaru, revealed crucial information about the assailant. The killer, wearing a mask, approached the rickshaw stand, instructing Shyam to take him to Tripti Layout. After dropping him off at his destination, Shyam reported that the man returned to the stand about 20 minutes later, boarded another auto rickshaw, and headed towards Udupi. The assailant, speaking Kannada in a Mangalore style, displayed urgency, instructing the driver to speed up. Shyam identified him by the distinctive shirt he was wearing.

Investigation

A few days later, on November 15, 2023, the Karnataka police have arrested a 35-year-old man, Praveen Arun Chougule, who worked at Mangaluru airport, in connection with the murders of a woman and three of her children at their home in Nejaru, Udupi, on November 12, 2023. He was tracked down to Kudachi in Belagavi, where he was staying with relatives after committing the murders. The police tracked down the suspect on the basis of technical data including mobile tower location information and call data records.

The accused had sought a stay on his trial on the grounds that he had approached the Karnataka High Court for bail. The trial court, however, observed on April 10, 2024 that the High Court had not stayed the trial and fixed June 13, 2024 as the date for the start of the trial.