A frail, hunched old man, his eyes seeming blank while he is barely able to hold his weight as he stands along with two policemen outside a police station in Karnataka's Koppal. The sight may seem like an elderly person seeking help from the cops. But as they say, looks can be deceptive. The actual story is far from sympathy-evoking, but of a gruesome crime.
75-year-old Hanumanthappa was arrested on Friday in a dramatic twist to a decades-old crime. He had been absconding for 23 years after allegedly murdering his wife in 2002.
Returning home years after murder
The accused, identified as Hanumanthappa, was arrested by Gangavati police after he returned to his ancestral village in Haladhala, located in the Manvi taluk of Raichur district.
His return tipped off the police, who had been tracking the cold case across multiple districts.
Wife murdered, body dumped in sack in 2002
According to the police, Hanumanthappa brutally killed his wife Renukamma in 2002. In an apparent attempt to cover up the crime, he stuffed her body into a sack and dumped it on a bus, hoping to dispose of it without leaving a trace. The murder occurred in Koppal district, but the body was later recovered in neighbouring Ballari district.
A 23-year-long manhunt
Since the murder, Hanumanthappa had managed to evade authorities and lived under the radar for over two decades. The case spanned three districts — Koppal (where the crime took place), Ballari (where the body was found), and Raichur (where he was finally caught).
The Gangavati Town Police Station has now registered a case, and investigators are focusing on how Hanumanthappa managed to remain undetected for such a long period.
Though Hanumanthappa is now 75, the brutal nature of the crime continues to shock the public even after more than two decades.
