Udupi: Tension gripped Mudarangadi in Udupi district after unidentified assailants shot dead businessman and local Congress leader David D’Souza in Shirva police station limits on Friday, August 7, marking yet another shooting incident on the Karnataka coast.
D’Souza, a former president of the Mudarangadi Gram Panchayat, was attacked by armed assailants who opened fire at close range before fleeing the spot. He succumbed to his injuries, police said.
Senior police officers rushed to the crime scene and launched an investigation. The motive behind the murder is yet to be established, with investigators probing multiple angles, including personal enmity and business-related disputes. Police have launched a special operation to trace and arrest the accused, who remain at large.
Back-to-back shootings
The latest incident comes days after businessman Ivan Richard Mascarenhas (45) was shot dead on Holy Rosario Church Road in Kundapur. In that case, police said the murder stemmed from a financial dispute over an alleged payment of Rs 1.5 lakh. The accused, identified as Derrick, allegedly used a country-made pistol to kill Mascarenhas before escaping.
Investigators had also revealed that Mascarenhas was an accused in the murder case of rowdy-sheeter Pitti Nagesh. Three special police teams were constituted to trace Derrick, who continues to evade arrest.
The back-to-back shooting incidents have raised concerns over law and order in the coastal district. Police are examining whether there is any connection between the two cases, although no official link has been established so far.
Authorities said additional security measures have been put in place while efforts continue to identify and apprehend those responsible for the murder of David D’Souza.
| 
