Puttur: Missing elderly man found dead in drain

Team Udayavani, Dec 7, 2024, 11:31 AM IST

Puttur: The body of a 68-year-old man was found in a drain between Rotarypur and Samethadka on Friday morning, raising suspicions about the circumstances of his death.

The deceased, identified as Nandakumar from Padayuru in Puttur Kasba, had gone missing on Thursday evening.

Nandakumar, a former employee of Vivekananda College, had reportedly withdrawn Rs 1-1.5 lakh from a society to hand over to his sibling in Puttur town. He traveled by auto-rickshaw to the town and was last seen near a wine store close to Bharat Bank. He was on foot, heading towards his sibling’s house near Sushruta Hospital.

CCTV footage from a house on Urlandi Road captured Nandakumar falling into a drain near Bharat Bank on the evening of December 5. The area was experiencing heavy rainfall at the time, and it is suspected that he was swept away by the water. His body was later found about 3 kilometers away in a drain near Samethadka.

According to witnesses, Nandakumar had mentioned to a familiar customer at the wine store that he was carrying cash to his sibling’s house. This has led to suspicions that someone may have followed him with the intention of robbing or harming him.

Missing Money Adds to Mystery

While Nandakumar’s empty bag was recovered at the scene, the cash he was carrying was missing. Locals have questioned how only the money disappeared, fueling concerns of a possible robbery-related murder. However, the police have stated that the death appears to be accidental, not a homicide.

Several aspects of the case remain unclear:

• Why did Nandakumar, who usually relied on auto-rickshaws, choose to walk on that day?
• Was the water flow in the drain strong enough to carry his body 3 kilometers downstream?
• What happened to the missing cash?

While locals express doubts about the possibility of such a strong current in the drain, police continue their investigation, focusing on evidence from the CCTV footage and other leads.