Body of man who was key link in murder case found in river

Panaji: In two separate incidents, police on Wednesday found the bodies of two males floating in the Mandovi river — one near the Divar ferry and the second near the coast at Betim. While the identity of the deceased male found near Divar ferry has yet to be identified, the one found at Betim has been identified as Guruprasad Rane. Rane is a key link in the murder case of a businessman from Karwar, Vinayak Naik.
Police said the body has been identified as that of Rane by his close relatives.
On Sep 22, a 52-year-old businessman from Pune, Vinayak Naik, was murdered in Hanakon village, 10km away from Karwar. Police had later identified Rane as a link in the case, according to sources.
Naik, also known as Raju, was a native of Hanakon and ran an electronics business in Pune. He had come to his hometown to participate in a car festival. He and his wife, Vaishali, were preparing to leave for Pune on Sep 22. At around 5am, five assailants armed with deadly weapons, including swords, entered their house and launched a vicious attack on the couple.
Naik suffered multiple injuries and died on the spot, while Vaishali was taken to Karwar Medical College Hospital. The attackers managed to flee in a car. It was believed that the accused, after the attack, crossed over across the border to Goa, which is just 10km away from Hanakon.
Chittakula police had registered a case, and an investigation is underway.