In September 2001, a forest guard patrolling the Konanakallu Reserve Forest in Karnataka discovered a man’s body — the victim’s pockets held only a passbook and a phone number. Police initially believed the victim was a businessman named “Jayakumar” from Shivamogga, but the lead soon went cold.
Years passed with no progress. The case languished, largely unsolved because the killers had used landlines and STD phone booths to evade detection — leaving no digital trail.
In December 2025, a renewed push by investigators at the Karnataka Police cracked the case. Detectives re-examined old files, re-traced numerous phone-booth calls across six districts, and even followed up on apparently insignificant details — among them, two egg-crates purchased at a local shop. That small lead ultimately guided them to a suspect’s residence.
Under pressure, the main suspect and two accomplices confessed. According to court records, the victim — later identified as a writer — and his driver had been sent to collect ₹1 million. The driver survived; the writer was murdered, robbed of the cash, and his body dumped in the forest. All three accused were handed life sentences back in 2005; one fled briefly but was re-arrested in 2014.
Investigators now regard the case as a testament to “old-school” detective work — long before digital footprints or cell-phone data became standard in criminal investigations. As one retired senior police officer put it: “It was a very challenging case.”