Mundgod: A man was brutally murdered by a group of assailants inside a hotel opposite the bus stand in Mundgod on Friday night, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Jameer Ahmed Dargawale (NMD). He had come to the hotel with a friend around 11 pm when a group of three to four men suddenly entered the premises. The attackers allegedly threw chilli powder at him and stabbed him in the neck with a knife.

Jameer tried to escape from the attackers but collapsed in a pool of blood in the kitchen area of the hotel.

Police said that about one-and-a-half years ago, Jameer had been abducted by unidentified persons near a school in the town. He was later rescued by police after a swift operation, and the accused in that case were arrested.

As news of the murder spread, a large number of people gathered near the bus stand late at night. Police faced difficulty in controlling the crowd while shifting the body from the hotel to the taluk hospital.

Geetha Patil visited the spot and inspected the scene. District Superintendent of Police Deepan M N also visited the location on Saturday.

The body has been sent to Karwar KIMS hospital for post-mortem examination.

Police said three teams have been formed to investigate the case and trace the accused. The exact reason behind the murder is yet to be known. Officials added that the deceased had around five cases registered against him, including a betting-related case.