Treasure seeker 'sacrifices' women

BANGALORE: Close on the heels of the arrest of serial killer Mallika alias K D Kempamma, a 'treasure hunter' has been arrested for killing two women. The main accused, Ravindra (24), murdered Aruna and Elizabeth after luring them to Bangalore Rural on the pretext of performing pujas.
Ravindra, also known as Kadu Manushya alias Ajay, hails from Mulakatte in Nagamangala taluk.He, along with associate Mohan and accomplices Shekar, Ravikumar and Chandrashekhar, killed Aruna on December 25. He bludgeoned Elizabeth to death two days later. The cases have been registered in Bellur and Maddur in Mandya, respectively. Ravindra believed there is treasure beneath the earth in some divine places. His greed came to the fore when he stayed at the house of his friend Subbu in K P Agrahara.
Subbu's grandfather told him there was a 'treasure box' in the house, but said it was not possible to retrieve it. Ravindra consulted a tantrik (black magician) from Mysore to trace the treasure. The tantrik supposedly advised Ravindra to perform human sacrifice before digging up the nidhi (treasure). Ravindra then started looking for victims. "Ravindra's friend Shekar knew two women in the city. Shekar convinced them that Ravindra's puja would bring them good fortune. In three days, Ravindra took the women to different places in Mandya and killed them," said Kalasipalya inspector S K Umesh, who headed the investigation.
How he lured them
Aruna, who ran a boutique in Byatarayanapura, had financial problems. Shekar introduced her to Ravindra, and the duo took her to the banks of Vaishnavi river. After asking her to remove her jewellery, Ravindra asked Aruna to pray by closing her eyes, and smashed her head with a boulder. Two days later, he took Elizabeth to the banks of Shimsha river and bludgeoned her to death. Ravindra took away her debit cards. "He also had Elizabeth's daughter Rashmi's debit card. He told the husband that Elizabeth had met with an accident, and he had rescued her. He asked for the PIN number so that he could withdraw some money for treatment," the officer added. "We suspect he had targeted another woman, but is not revealing anything about that," he said.
'Ask my guru, treasure is still there'
The police are tracking down the 'guru' who advised Ravindra. "My guru confirmed the treasure is that house. But it's dangerous to dig it out without performing human sacrifice," Ravindra told the police. Ravindra had done a paramedical course. "People should not entertain any tricksters who approach them with ideas of puja for a better life," a senior police officer said.