Udupi murder accused confessed to crime, says SP

Mangaluru, Nov 15: The accused in the murder of four members of a family in Udupi last Sunday has confessed to the crime during interrogation, Udupi district Superintendent of Police K Arun said on Wednesday.
He told reporters in Udupi that the police team investigating the case will look into the alleged ‘jilted love’ angle between the accused Praveen Chougale and the slain airhostess Ainaz, one of the victims of the attack. The accused was a colleague of the young woman.
Police are also probing into other speculated angles of monetary transactions between Ainaz and the accused. He told the police that Ainaz was his target and others were attacked when they tried to stop him, the SP said.
Ainaz’s mother Haseena, sister Afnan, brother Aseem and grandmother Hajira were stabbed while they tried to stop Praveen from attacking Ainaz, he told the police.
The SP said that other motives behind the crime will be known during investigation and the weapon used by the accused will be confiscated soon. Going by the statement of the accused, the crime was pre-planned, he said.
Chougale hails from Sangli in Maharashtra and is married and working in Mangaluru, he said.
Police are verifying his earlier service records with Maharashtra state police. As per available information, he has not served with the CISF or any other service, the SP said.
The family members of the victims are cooperating with the police in the investigation, he added. The accused was later produced before the jurisdictional court and was remanded in police custody till November 28.
Praveen Chougale was arrested in a joint operation by Udupi district police and Belagavi police from Kuduchi in Raibagh taluk of Belagavi district on Tuesday. (PTI)