Kundapur: 45-Year-Old Businessman Shot Dead in Suspected Targeted Attack
Kundapur: In a suspected targeted attack, a 45-year-old man was shot dead in front of the Holy Rosary Church on Church Road in Kundapur around 3:30 a.m. on Friday, triggering a major police investigation in the area.
The deceased has been identified as Ivan Richard Mascarenhas (45), a native of Kachoor in Barkur. Police said he was involved in several business ventures. It has also been learnt that he had separated from his first wife, Selma Mascarenhas, and was living with another woman from Barkur.
According to the police, Ivan Richard had arrived at Church Road in Kundapur in a car along with the woman in the early hours of Friday. At that time, an unidentified assailant allegedly approached the vehicle and opened fire at him with a pistol. Ivan suffered multiple gunshot injuries and died on the spot due to excessive bleeding.
Following the attack, the accused fled the scene. Police said the woman who was with Ivan has identified the suspect, and a search operation has been launched to trace and apprehend the accused.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the murder may have been linked to a financial dispute or some other business-related matter. However, police have stated that the exact motive is yet to be established and all angles are being examined.
Senior officers, including Udupi Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar, Additional Superintendent of Police Sudhakar Nayak, Deputy Superintendent of Police H.D. Kulkarni, Kundapur Town Police Inspector Jairam Gowda, and PSI officers Nanja Nayak, Pushpa, and Anoop Nayak, along with other personnel, visited the crime scene and carried out an inspection.
A Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) team also examined the location and collected forensic evidence crucial to the investigation. A case has been registered at the Kundapur Town Police Station, and police have intensified efforts to trace the absconding accused.
The incident has created concern in the locality, especially since the shooting took place in the early hours in a public area. Authorities are now working to establish the sequence of events, identify the motive, and determine whether the crime resulted from personal enmity, business rivalry, or a planned attack.