An unidentified charred body found in a coffee plantation in Karnataka’s Kodagu district three weeks ago unraveled a gruesome murder tale. The deceased, Ramesh, 54 years old, was a businessman who had been reported missing before the body was found. Investigations showed that his wife Niharika, her paramour Nikhil, and another co-conspirator, Ankur, conspired to kill Ramesh for his money. All three have been arrested.
The charred remains were found on October 8 near Suntikoppa. The identification of the body was not possible initially, so police began checking the CCTVs in the area. A red Mercedes Benz traced in the name of Ramesh drew their attention, after which coordination with Telangana police began.
As the investigation went on, police started to suspect Niharika P, 29. She was arrested, confessed her role in the crime, and implicated Nikhil and Ankur. Background checks were conducted regarding Niharika; it came to light that since childhood, she had a troubled life: her father died when she was 16, after which her mother remarried. Niharika studied academically and worked in the engineering line but soon served time in prison for fraud in financial dealings; that’s where she met Ankur.
Matters started going out of hand when Niharika demanded ₹8 crore from Ramesh, which he refused. At this, she became furious and began to plot his murder with Nikhil and Ankur. On October 1, the incident took place in Uppal, Hyderabad, where Ramesh was choked to death.
The three drove more than 800 kilometers to Kodagu and burned the body at the coffee estate. After his act was over, the family filed a complaint of missing persons against Ramesh. Later, police traced some of the suspects; they confirmed their involvement in the crime.
