Three people were allegedly hacked to death by a group of miscreants at a dhaba near Pattan village on the outskirts of the city due to an old rivalry between two families, police said on Wednesday.

Seven people have been taken into custody in connection with the crime and further investigation is underway, they said.

According to officials, the incident is said to have taken place past Tuesday midnight.

The deceased have been identified as Siddaroodha (32), Jagadish (25), and Ramachandra (35). They are all said to be related to each other and worked at the dhaba.

Kalaburagi City Police Commissioner Sharanappa S D said a case has been registered at the Kalaburagi suburban police station based on a complaint against eleven people, and an old rivalry between two families from the same community appears to be the reason for the incident.

"Two people who have been murdered today, had killed (Somu Talikoti), a brother of the accused, last year. Today's murder seems to be revenge for it. Seven people have been taken into custody and investigation is underway, and information is being gathered about the remaining accused," he told reporters.

Noting that the main accused in last year's Somu Talikoti murder case is still in jail, the commissioner said, Siddaroodha and Jagadish, who were killed today, were recently released from the prison.

The accused are said to have also taken the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) of the CCTV along with them and an investigation is underway, the police said.

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