In Belagavi district of Karnataka a 35-year old astrologer was killed for helping a young woman to marry a man from another caste. His body was found in a sugarcane field near Mankapur village in Nippani taluk. Police arrested the woman’s father in connection with the murder.
The deceased has been identified as Mandar Ajit Ranade from Ichalkaranji in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district. The accused is Babaso alias Deepak Magdum from Maharashtra.
Police said the accused had developed a grudge against Ranade as he (Ranade) had helped him marry his 19-year-old daughter Anuja in an inter-caste marriage earlier this year.
Daughter's Inter-Caste Marriage Allegedly Led to Murder
Police said Anuja was in a relationship with a young man from Shivnakwadi village in Maharashtra named Omkar. The couple wanted to get married and astrologer Mandar Ranade facilitated their marriage, they added.
The wedding took place on 13 January 2026 but the accused was not happy with his daughter’s decision and blamed Ranade for helping couple marry against his wish.
The accused then allegedly planned to kill the astrologer. The murder was said to have been done out of anger he had against Ranade for allowing inter-caste marriage.
Astrologer Lured on the Pretext of Arranging Another Marriage
The police said the accused had called Ranade (using a different mobile number) on October 31 and told him that he needed help in arranging another marriage and requested Ranade to come to Mankapur village.
Believing it to be true Ranade travelled from Ichalkaranji to the place near the Karnataka-Maharashtra border.
When he reached there, the accused allegedly threw chilli powder into his eyes and attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon. Ranade was seriously injured (deep wounds around neck and throat) and died on the spot, police said.
His body was later found in a sugarcane field near Mankapur village.
Mobile Phone Records Help Police Trace the Accused
After the body was found Sadalga police started an investigation to identify the victim and apprehend the perpetrator.
Police looked into Ranade’s mobile phone call records and only on calls received on 31 October. Technical investigation was said to have helped police trace the person who had contacted him before the murder.
Special investigation team was formed to crack the case. Mobile phone records, location tracking and other intelligence inputs were used by police to identify and arrest Babaso alias Deepak Magdum.
Police also found the sharp-edged weapon allegedly used in the crime. Reports said it was a sickle.
Case Registered Under BNS Section 103(1)
A murder case was registered at Sadalga Police Station under Section 103(1) of BNS (murder).
The accused was arrested and remanded to judicial custody (reports said). Police are still looking into whether anyone else had been involved in planning or carrying out the murder.
The incident has drawn attention to the alleged targeting of someone who helped in an inter-caste marriage. The police have already identified the suspected motive but allegations against accused are still before court.
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