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Bagalkot: The recent car blast in Hippargi village of Jamkhandi taluk was not an accident but an alleged attempt to eliminate bar manager Hanamant Athani, the police said after arresting four people in connection with the case.

The accused have been identified as Shivanand Parasappa Jalli, 29, Revanappa Ningappa Jalli, 24, Mahadev Beerappa Sangapur, 21, and Mallikarjun Murageppa Bhadrapanavar, 23. All four are from Babaleshwar taluk in Vijayapura district. Gajanan Sangapur, a relative of Shivanand who allegedly helped arrange the explosive material, is absconding.

Police said the conspiracy was rooted in a dispute over money and land. Shivanand’s uncle Ningappa had reportedly borrowed Rs 40 lakh from Hanamant. Following the failure to repay the amount, five acre of land belonging to Ningappa allegedly came under Hanamant’s possession.

More money demanded for plot of land

Shivanand subsequently sought to settle the financial dispute and recover the land. However, Hanamant allegedly demanded Rs 67 lakh, including interest. Police suspect that Shivanand, angered by the demand and believing that the family property was being unfairly withheld, decided to eliminate him.

On July 25, Shivanand and Revanappa allegedly travelled to Hippargi and kept watch on Hanamant’s movements. Later that night, when there were fewer people on the road, they allegedly placed an explosive device near his car.

The device reportedly contained multiple gelatin sticks and other components. The explosion occurred at around 10.45 pm, causing extensive damage to the vehicle. Hanamant, however, survived the attack.

Threatening messages sent

The accused allegedly continued to threaten Hanamant after learning that he had escaped. On August 6, they reportedly used a second-hand mobile phone and a fake SIM card to send threatening messages through SMS and WhatsApp to Hanamant and his brother Basavaraj.

The messages allegedly warned them against pursuing the land and financial dispute further.

The investigation team subsequently examined mobile phone signals, closed circuit television (CCTV) footage, network data and the suspected source of the explosives. These clues reportedly helped investigators identify and arrest the four accused.

Police have also detained the owner and manager of two shops in Athani and Vijayapura that allegedly supplied the explosive material for questioning.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of Bagalkot Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddharth Goyal and Additional SP Jagadish, with guidance from Jamkhandi Deputy SP Zamir.

Police are continuing their probe to trace the absconding accused and establish the complete sequence of events behind the alleged murder conspiracy.