In a chilling act of suspected revenge, the father of a man accused in a murder case was allegedly killed by the victim’s father in Mandya district on Tuesday. The incident took place in the Melkote police station limits.

The deceased has been identified as Narasimhe Gowda (55), a resident of Maanikyanahalli in Pandavapura taluk. The accused in the case are Venkatesh and his associate Manjunath, both have been arrested by the police shortly after the incident.

According to police sources, Narasimhe’s son, Nitish Kumar, is an accused in the murder of Deepika, daughter of Venkatesh. The incident happened in January 2024 at the foothills of Yoganarasimha Swamy Betta in Melkote. Nitish was arrested in connection with the case and is currently out on bail.

Tensions between the families of Narasimhe Gowda and Venkatesh have reportedly been simmering since Deepika’s murder. Narasimhe Gowda was making arrangements for the wedding of his daughter, which was scheduled for later this week.

The suspected hostility is said to be the reason behind the attack on Narasimhe Gowda, who had conducted the engagement of his daughter last month. Venkatesh spotted Narasimhe Gowda at a tea stall in Bellale. In a fit of rage, Venkatesh and Manjunath were said to have attacked Narasimha Gowda with a knife, fatally wounding him. Hundreds of people had gathered in the village following the incident.

A team led by the Melkote police inspector Ashok Kumar was constituted. It arrested Venkatesh and Manjunath. Superintendent of Police Mallikarjuna Baladandi and other senior officials visited the crime scene. Further investigation is on.