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Belagavi: In a shocking incident on Wednesday morning at Tilakwadi’s Mangalwar Peth, a man brutally murdered his widowed sister-in-law by stabbing her with a sharp knife following a dispute over property and money.The deceased is Geeta Ranjit Gavali, 45, while the accused is her brother-in-law, Ganesh Gawli. According to police sources, Geeta’s husband, Ranjit Gavali, passed away a few years ago. Since then, Geeta worked as a domestic help in a few households to support her family. After Ranjit’s death, disputes arose between Geeta and Ganesh, who lived on the upper floor of the same building, over ownership of the property.Ganesh, who also took loans, allegedly pressured Geeta to give him money, citing the ongoing property dispute. Geeta, however, refused, knowing that he squandered borrowed money on luxuries and that she could not afford to pay him Rs 4–5 lakh.Enraged, Ganesh attacked Geeta on Wednesday morning as she was locking her house. He first stabbed her in the back, causing her to collapse in a pool of blood, and then continued to stab her mercilessly, killing her on the spot. Tilakwadi police arrested Ganesh while he was attempting to flee. The blood-stained knife used in the murder was later recovered from bushes near Bhangi Road. Geeta’s body was sent to BIMS Hospital for a postmortem. Geeta is survived by a married daughter and a young son.Police sources said Ganesh is a notorious rowdy-sheeter with a history of illegal activities, including illicit liquor trade and hooliganism, and is infamous in the Mangalwar Peth area. Locals previously complained to Tilakwadi police about his behaviour and demanded strict action. Preliminary investigations revealed that Ganesh had plotted the murder of Geeta for several days. On Tuesday, he allegedly sent his family out of town, and on Wednesday morning, he carried out the brutal killing. A case has been registered at Tilakwadi police station.
