Hans News Service Ballari

Anantapurdistrict police have solved a blind murder case in which a completely charred body was found with almost no clues. The victim has been identified as Gururaju Rao, a deaf and mute happala (papad) trader originally from Ballari. Police arrested two men from Ballari — Basavaraju, aged 31, and Kotrresh, aged 36 — both of whom are also deaf and mute. The body was discovered on June 23 in an agricultural field near Pulakurthi village in D. Hirehal mandal. It had been burned beyond recognition. During a thorough search of the spot, forensic experts recovered a partially burned Kannada newspaper, burned clothes, a sacred thread and, most importantly, a small papad packet. This packet became the key clue that helped crack the case. Police traced the manufacturer details on the packet and travelled to Chennai. By following the supply chain, they established a connection to Ballari. Inquiries in Ballari revealed that Gururaju Rao, a deaf and mute happala trader, had been missing. The Kannada newspaper and sacred thread found at the scene helped confirm that the charred body was his. Further investigation showed that the accused had used the victim’s ATM card to withdraw money after the murder.