Mangalore: The Bantwal Rural police have been successful in busting the mystery behind the suspicious death of Leelavathi (34) who was found dead under mysterious circumstances on the road leading to her house at Mukkada near Neerapalke in Panjikallu village of Bantwal taluk on September 6.

Informing this to reporters here on September 22, Saturday, SP Abhishek Goel said  the police have arrested five persons including Bhasker Poojari, the son of Leelavathi’s maternal aunt of Panjkikallu, Leela Karkera, a resident of Mulihitlu and a nurse at Minsa Private Hospital of Mangalore,  Bharathi Belchada, a resident of Vamanjoor, who worked as a maid in the hospital and Dr Hanumanth Rao, physician who ran the Aditya clinic of Bantwal who is also a retired government medical officer and Lakshman Poojari, a resident of Panjikallu in this connection.

The SP informed that Leelavathi had died due to excessive bleeding after an illegal  abortion  done at the behest of Bhasker Poojari who had  physical relationship with her.

The SP said Leelavathi who had left her house on September 5 stating she would be going to her grandmother’s house was found dead on way to her granny’s house the next day. It was Bhasker Poojari who first saw the body and had informed Leelavathi’s brother Shekhar Poojari. The Bantwal police had later registered a case of suspicious death. However, the missing of Leelavathi’s sandals and mobile phone gave room for suspicion on the cause of death.

Investigations revealed that  Leelavathi had travelled in an autorickshaw from her house to Bhami Junction in Bantwal and also that  she had been to Minsa Hospital along with a person who later the police learnt was none other than  Bhasker who was even trying to mislead the police during investigation by pointing fingers of blame towards others.

It was when he was taken into custody and grilled that his role in the death came to light. The SP said interrogations revealed that Bhasker who was married just four months ago, was  pestering Leelavathi to go in for abortion when she was five months pregnant,  after stating that it was impossible  to marry her.

He had taken her to Dr Hanumantha Rao who  after giving her some injection had directed Leela Karkera to admit Leelavathi to the Minsa  hospital for abortion. Accordingly, Bhasker had taken Leelavathi to the hospital and had paid Rs 6000 to Leela including a commission of Rs 1000 for the doctor and had returned home.

The SP said the patient was admitted without bringing the matter to the notice of the medical officer and Leela had done the abortion illegally on the night of September 5  and had left home. The maid Bharathi was in the hospital and late in the night realized that Leelavathi was crying in pain due to excessive bleeding. She had breathed her last by the time Leela arrived.

Later, the body was taken in the auto of one Lakhman Poojari  along with the clothes and  the body dumped on the roadside on the morning of September 6. The clothes were  thrown into some drain by Bhasker Poojari.

The SP further informed that the clinic of Dr Hanumantha Rao had been raided by the police along with Navoor PHC medical officer when huge quantity of tablets and other implements used for abortion only by gynecologists were seized.

The police who took part in the investigation included Additional  DySP Sadananda Varnekar,  MN Anucheth, Putur Sub Division ASP, Anil S Kulkarni, Bantwal SI and others.

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