Kasaragod: Borewell agent Thomas Crasta (63), whose body was found dumped in a sewage tank, was murdered allegedly by his neighbours for gold ornaments worth Rs 2.33 lakh, said police.
Kasaragod District Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena said Muneer K (41) and his wife's brother Ashraf C H were taken into custody for the murder of Crasta, a resident of Pilippallam near Seethangoli.
Muneer, a small-time electrician who does house wiring, is a native of Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada but settled in Seethangoli for the past 18 years. His brother-in-law Ashraf is a native of Seethangoli but settled in Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka, and transports vegetables, said police.
Saxena said Muneer became a suspect because he was missing from his house and his mobile phone was switched off after the murder.
Later, police recovered curtains of the same design and material used to wrap Crasta's body from Muneer's house, said Vidyangar Station House Officer - Inspector P Pramod, who headed the investigation. Police tracked him down to Karnataka on Wednesday. "We called him to Vidyanagar Police and arrested him," he said. Based on his confession, police picked up Ashraf, too, said the officer.
A brutal murder
Crasta was murdered around 11 am on June 28, Wednesday, said an officer who was part of the investigation team.
Muneer lives behind Crasta's house. On June 28, he called Crasta to his house. "When he arrived, Ashraf was there and he hit Crasta's head with an iron rod," said the officer.
Crasta lost consciousness but his body was quivering. The duo then smashed his head with three laterite bricks, each weighing around 30 kg. "When we got the body, the head was shapeless. The autopsy report said the head was broken into 20 pieces," said the officer.
After ensuring Crasta was dead, Muneer and Ashraf allegedly wrapped the body with a curtain from Muneer's shelf and packed it in a sack, and hid it in the bushes, police said.
After sunset, they dumped it in the sewage tank of a house under construction, 50 m from Crasta's house.
His relatives started looking for him the following day.
Crasta, who owned two apartments and two houses, lived alone since his divorce 29 years ago.
On Saturday, July 1, the relatives decided to file a missing person complaint with Badiadka Police. But before going to the station, they searched the neighbourhood once again. This time, they saw flies buzzing around a freshly sealed sewage tank. A pungent stench was coming from the tank. They called the police. A team led by Badiadka Station House Officer- Sub-Inspector Vinod Kumar K P opened the sewage tank and found the body, with legs jutting out from the sack.
All for gold and money
Police alleged Muneer and Ashraf killed Crasta assuming he kept money in his house. But they got a gold ring weighing 7g and a chain weighing around 36g from him. In today's market price, the gold ornaments could fetch them a maximum of Rs 2.33 lakh.
Police said they had sold the gold chain in a shop at Seethangoli. Police are yet to recover it. Crasta is survived by two daughters.
