Meanwhile, another violent shooting incident has rocked coastal Karnataka as businessman and Congress leader David D’Souza was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Udupi district. The incident is under the jurisdiction of the Shirva Police Station and has sent a shock wave through the community and is making people very anxious about a recent sharp rise in violent gun-related crimes in the district.
According to initial reports, David D’Souza was attacked by armed miscreants who opened fire on him and fled the scene. At the last minute, he died, and residents and political workers rushed to the scene. The police immediately arrived at the scene of the incident and launched an investigation into the murder.
David D’Souza was very well-known in the area. A businessman as well as a politician, he had already been involved in local politics, and he was the president of Mudarangadi Gram Panchayat. The sudden and deadly death has left supporters, friends, and residents in shock.
The motive of the murder is not clear, police officials said. We are looking at personal and business disputes, political conflict, and other motives. Evidence and witness statements from individuals close to the deceased are being collected from the crime scene, and surveillance footage from nearby areas is being examined.
A special operation is also ongoing to track the attackers who fled immediately after the murder, he said. Police are on hand in many places to catch the suspects and determine the sequence of events that led to the murder.
The latest killing happened just days after another high-profile shooting incident in Udupi district that attracted widespread attention. In that case, businessman Ivan Richard Mascarenhas (45) was allegedly shot dead on Holy Rosario Church Road in Kundapura.
Police found out that Ivan had helped to recover ₹27 lakh for another person. But there was a dispute over the pending payment of about ₹1.5 lakh that he was supposed to be paid. It boiled over into a heated argument that resulted in a fatal shooting.
The main accused in the Kundapura case was Derrick, who used a country-made pistol to carry out the murder, authorities said. The accused went into hiding and police intensified search efforts. Three special investigation teams were set up to track him down and collect more evidence in the case.
Police records also indicate that Ivan Richard Mascarenhas had already been named as an accused in the murder case of rowdy-sheeter Pitti Nagesh, adding complexity to the investigation.
The back-to-back shootings have worried Udupi district residents, who don’t see such violent crimes happening in the district where such crimes have so rarely happened. Community leaders and residents have pleaded with authorities to beef up law enforcement and take swift action against those responsible for the killings.
Political leaders have spoken at length about David D’Souza’s murder, which has been condemned in the media and are looking for an unbiased investigation.
Police have assured the public they are working hard to find a solution. And we know there’s going to be good leads in the case as we are investigating and conducting forensic analysis.
The murder of David D’Souza, however, has once again raised the issue of gun-related crimes in coastal Karnataka. It has been a very sad time for our community that we have lost a very prominent local leader, and we have no news yet about the reason why and who is behind the attack,” said the Police Chief.
