BENGALURU: A 45-year-old woman who hired contract killers to murder her elder brother — for backing her daughter’s marriage to a man of her choice — has been arrested. Three men and a woman who executed the killing are also behind bars.

Police on Thursday said passersby found T Rajashekar, 50, a small-time realtor, murdered in a building under construction near Kengeri railway station on June

22. Police found that the last call Rajashekar had made on his cellphone had been to his sister Gowramma.

However, investigators did not tell Gowramma or other members of the family about the 10-minute call. During questioning, when Gowramma attempted to mislead police, an officer asked her when she had last spoken to Rajashekar over his cellphone. “She promptly lied, saying it had been sometime before June 20,” the officer said. “When Gowramma learned we had evidence that her brother had called her on June 22, she broke down and spilled the beans.”

According to cops, Gowramma’s younger daughter had sought Rajashekar’s support to marry a man she liked. Gowramma opposed it, but Rajashekar persuaded her to acquiesce and the nuptials were arranged for June 24. “Gowramma heard gossip that the groom had paid Rajashekar to marry his niece,” the officer said. “She tried to stop the marriage but her daughter threatened to elope. Unhappy, she decided to have Rajashekar killed.”

“She admitted she paid four construction workers Rs 3 lakh to murder her brother,” he said. “Rajashekar was speaking to Gowramma over phone when they hacked him to death.” Police on Wednesday arrested Gowramma and hired killers, Arzoo Mohammed, 19, A Munna, 20, Saquib Ahmed, 21, and Mumtaz Hussain Saab, 28, natives of West Bengal and residents of Vishweshwaraiah Layout.

