Yashodha went for pooja and never returned home

MANGALORE: Two-and-half years ago Yashodha, who stepped out of her home on the pretext of attending a pooja at Bolyar, was never seen again, Bogra Poojary, father of Yashodha Madanthyar testified before the Fast Track Court on Monday.Deposing before the court, hearing into Cyanide Mohan Kumar case, he said, his wife Sheelavathi and himself had left home looking for employment.His elder daughter Yashodha had left home on the pretext of attending a pooja at Bolyar.A month later, he realised that his daughter was murdered by Cyanide Mohan after he saw the photographs of his daughter and Cyanide Mohan Kumar in the dailies.He testified to having seen the accused at Bantwal police station and had identified gold ornaments, cloth, footwear, umbrella and other belongings which were last seen on her when she left home.When asked to identify the photographs of his daughter's body in the court hall, he began wailing uncontrollably as memories of his dead daughter rushed back.Sheelavathi, mother of Yashodha, testified that when her daughter went missing she had sought the help of one Harish to make a call to Yashodha's cellphone.A male voice which responded to the call introduced himself as Anand.The male voice informed that he had married her daughter Yashodha and both would return home on Monday.But they never returned as promised, she said.Yashodha's uncle Janardhana, deposing before the court, vouched on having seen Yashodha with a stranger at BC Road bus stand on September 24, 2009 while returning to Mangalore from Madanthyar.During cross examination, Mohan Kumar sought to know whether Janardhan had joined the family in tracing Yashodha after she went missing.When Janardhan responded positively, Mohan Kumar countered it pointing how while being in Mangalore he would still launch a search with the family at Madanthyar.Janardhan clarified that he had pitched in efforts to trace Yashodha by making calls from his cellphone.Though four witnesses were examined on Monday, the process remained incomplete as ornaments seized in Yashodha's case were not produced in the court.