BENGALURU: Investigation into the sensational kidnap and murder of realtor Gopal near Anekal has taken a dramatic turn with police saying the killing was orchestrated by his former business associate who believed Gopal had used black magic to ruin him.Eight people, including two minors, were arrested from their hideout in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, late Tuesday night for the kidnap and murder. The drama unfolded around 7pm Sunday when Gopal was driving his SUV with a friend, Satish. Near Anekal, a mini-goods vehicle allegedly rammed the car, forcing them to stop. As the two men stepped out, the attackers sprayed a chemical on Satish’s face and abducted Gopal in another vehicle.
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The following morning, police in Krishnagiri alerted their Anekal counterparts after discovering a body dumped by the roadside near Denkanikote. A photograph of the victim confirmed it was Gopal. By then, Anekal police had already registered a kidnap case, which was later altered to murder. Gopal’s wife, Swati, told police that Mohan Babu, his former business partner, was responsible for the murder. She claimed her husband was assaulted by Mohan and his aides last year, but they didn’t approach police because of Mohan’s influence. Following Swati’s statement, police picked up Mohan for questioning, and based on his inputs, arrested Ananda, Santosh Kumar, Teja, Darshan and Nikhil, besides two minors. Two other suspects, Harsha and Narayanaswamy, are absconding. During interrogation, cops learnt Mohan had grown increasingly suspicious that Gopal was practising black magic against him, which he believed had led to setbacks in his real estate business.Bengaluru Rural district superintendent of police MV Chandrakant said: “Gopal used to work under Mohan as a commission agent and then started operating independently. This didn’t go down well with the latter. Mohan also believed that black magic practised by Gopal had adversely impacted his business and health.” The relationship between the two soured in recent years. “For the past five years, Gopal started focusing on his own deals. Some of the earlier joint settlements were eventually handled by him alone, which brought him considerable profits. This, coupled with his growing reputation, made Mohan insecure and fuelled resentment,” a senior police officer said.
