Raichur honour killing: 3 sentenced to death, nine get life term for murder of five family members

PTI, Apr 9, 2025, 6:46 PM IST

Representative image (source: Shutterstock)

Raichur: A court here has sentenced three people to death and handed life imprisonment to nine others for the brutal murder of five members of a family in Raichur district, a crime that stemmed from opposition to an inter-family marriage.

The killings occurred on July 11, 2020, in Sindhanur town, where five members of Mounesh’s family—his parents, his siblings were beaten to death.

The attack followed a confrontation at Mounesh’s residence between his in-laws and his family, triggered by long-standing hostility toward his marriage to Manjula.

Manjula’s parents and relatives had earlier threatened Mounesh and his family after the couple, both from the Kuruba community, visited her home six months after their wedding.

In response to the threats, Mounesh had lodged a police complaint, which further enraged her family.

On the day of the attack, Manjula’s relatives stormed Mounesh’s house and carried out the killings. Mounesh and Manjula, who were 21 and 18 at the time, survived the attack as they were at the Sindhanur police station when the violence occurred.

Raichur Superintendent of Police Putta Madaiah confirmed that the court awarded the death penalty to Sanna Fakirappa, Ambanna, and Somashekar, along with a fine of Rs 47,000.

The nine individuals sentenced to life imprisonment include Manjula’s parents and other close relatives.

Since the incident, Mounesh and Manjula have been residing in Sindhanur under police protection.