Udupi murder: Nabbed accused a flight cabin colleague of slain air hostess

Udupi, Nov 14: The arrest of Praveen Chowgule on Tuesday, November 14, in connection with the brutal murder of a woman and her three children, including an international airlines hostess, has uncovered startling revelations. Close sources disclosed that Praveen Chowgule is an officer and flight cabin colleague of the slain air hostess, Ainaz.

Love & smuggling

Even more astonishing is the alleged involvement of gold smuggling, coupled with suggestions of an unrequited love angle between the accused Praveen Chowgle and Ainaz. The Udupi police are diligently investigating these angles to establish the exact motive behind the gruesome murder of Ainaz, her two siblings, and her mother. Ainaz's grandmother, Hajirabi, partially escaped the fatal attack by locking herself in the bathroom. Although she was grievously injured and hospitalized, she has since recovered and been discharged.

The shocking murder of Ainaz (21), her sister Afnan (23), brother Aseem (12), and mother Haseena (46) in Nejar on Sunday, November 12, during broad daylight, had sent shivers down the spines of the Udupi residents. The assailant, after brutally stabbing the woman and her three children to death, had threatened a neighboring girl who had rushed to Ainaz's house upon hearing the family's screams before fleeing the scene.

Speculation about business rivalry and a supari angle was also rife due to the multiple murders involved and the brutality of their nature, mercilessly stabbing even a 12-year-old boy to death. The modus operandi of the assailant also right from his arrival at the crime spot, the execution and the manner in which he was eluding the police behind him by changing means of transport and addresses was further strengthenng the professional hitman angle. The preliminary investigations also suggested the possibility that the assailant was familiar with the family and their house.

After two days of intensive search, accused Praveen Chowgale (35) was apprehended in Kudachi, Rayabhaga taluk, Belagavi district, in a joint operation by Udupi and Belagavi police. The accused, originally from Sangli, Maharashtra, was located and arrested by the Udupi DySP-led team in Belagavi.

There are also unconfirmed reports that Praveen was earlier a policeman with the CRPF. 

(Source: Daijiworld)