Kundapur: In a tragic incident, a hotelier was murdered by making him drink soft drink laced with poison within Bailhongal police station limits in Belagavi district. The victim was Chandrashekhar Shetty (40), a native of Idoor - Kunhadi village , who operated hotel business at Bailhongal.
Chandrashekar, son of Koragayya Shetty from Horotti in Iduoor-Kunhadi village, had first started a petty shop selling pan. He later started a vegetarian restaurant ‘Karavali’ near the bus stand as per his brother’s advice, under partnership with his brother. The business in the hotel picked up. His younger brother Nagaraj Shetty was running the restaurant.
Chandrashekhar is survived by wife and a 12-year-old son. Shetty was returning after visiting Sangolli village in his vehicle, when unidentified persons had intercepted him and forced him to consume soft drink mixed with poison. As Chandrashekhar found the taste of the drink odd, he tried to throw it away but the men forced him to drink it. He tried to flee from there in his motor bike but fell near a bridge as he was feeling weak. People passing by that way informed his younger brother with the help of mobile phone found in his pocket.
His brother Nagaraj and others rushed to the spot and admitted Shetty into the Bailhongal government hospital for treatment. He died after five days without responding to treatment. His last rites were performed in his hometown on Sunday.
