A 23-year-old HIV-positive man was allegedly killed by his sister and her husband in Dummi village of Chitradurga district over what the couple claimed was an attempt to preserve family honour, given the victim’s medical condition.However, victim Mallikarjun GN’s father Nagaraj GB filed a police complaint, pressing murder charges against his daughter Nisha, 25, and son-in-law Manjunath, 38, citing property dispute as the real motive behind the killing. While Nisha is in police custody, a search is on for Manjunath.“We have registered an FIR based on the victim’s father’s complaint. During questioning, Nisha admitted to killing Mallikarjun. We’re now searching for Manjunath and a probe is on,” Holalkere police officer MB Chikkannavar said. On July 23, Mallikarjun, a private firm employee, suffered an accident on NH-48 in Hiriyur taluk and underwent surgery for a fractured leg at a private hospital in Davanagere. Later, doctors found out that Mallikarjun was HIV-positive and suggested he be moved to a hospital with specialised care. Following this medical advice, the family decided to move him to Manipal Hospital in Udupi district. On Nagaraj’s request, Nisha and Manjunath arranged for a private transport on the evening of July 25 to move Mallikarjun to Manipal Hospital. However, they returned with his lifeless body early on July 26, claiming Mallikarjun had died in transit. “But I noticed marks on Mallikarjun’s neck and questioned my daughter,” Nagaraj said, adding that both Nisha and Manjunath eventually admitted to strangulating his son. Terming his daughter and son-in-law “dishonest”, Nagaraj said they killed his son over property issues.
