Sullia : In a shocking case of double murder reported from Sullia, a  housewife and a tractor driver were found murdered in a hilly close by the woman’s house on the morning of December 30, Sunday. The murder is learnt to have taken place on Saturday night.

The deceased woman Padmavathi (37) was the wife of one Harish Naik who worked as a cook. The other man killed was Hithesh (28), a tractor driver who was employed by Harish  to transport the mud that had been collected while leveling his land to facilitate construction of a house.

According to initial reports, the land leveling works were underway till midnight on Saturday and the workers as well as the family had retired to bed later. If some workers slept inside the tractor, Harish and some others slept on the verandah, while Padmavathi, her two children, the tractor driver Hithesh and another person named Vasanth slept inside the house.

It is said, Harish who woke up in the morning, found Harish, Hithesh and  Vasanth missing and following a frantic search Hithesh and Padmavathi were found murdered in the hill. It is learnt, a pick-axe was used to murder them. It is suspected that an illicit relationship had led to the murder. Sources said Padmavathi had an extra marital affair with Vasanth and he might have murdered Hithesh and Padmavathi on seeing them in a compromising position in the hill. Vasanth is absconding.

More details are awaited.