Three individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 65-year-old man over a financial dispute related to a real estate business, Doddaballapura Rural Police said on Sunday.
The victim, identified as Devaraj, a resident of Bashettihalli, was reportedly killed by his business associates and friends, Raj Kumar (45), from Gauribidanur, and Anil Mora (40) and Naga Prasanna (34), both from Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. The arrests were made on Friday.
Devaraj, who also ran a KMF milk parlour in Bashettihalli, was reported missing by his family members on October 18. Initially filed as a missing person case, the investigation soon uncovered the details of a brutal murder.
Inspector Sadhik Pasha, who is leading the investigation, revealed that the crime stemmed from escalating financial disputes between Devaraj and the accused over real estate dealings. Devaraj had loaned ₹20 lakh to two of the accused, Mora and Kumar, and had been pressing them for repayment. The pressure to settle the loan led to the fatal plot.
On the morning of October 18, the accused lured Devaraj into a car under the pretense of repaying the loan. Once in the vehicle, Mora, seated in the back, allegedly strangled Devaraj while the car was in motion. The body was initially burned in a pit near Infosys City, located on the outskirts of Doddaballapura.
However, as the police closed in on the suspects, they dug up the remains, further burned the body, and disposed of the remains in Madhure Lake, located about 5 kilometers from the crime scene. The suspects then sold the car used in the murder to a buyer in Kolar.
On Friday afternoon, forensic experts, working with the police, managed to recover partially burnt human bones from Madhure Lake. Additionally, items such as hair, slippers, and other personal belongings, which were identified by Devaraj’s family, were found at the scene. Authorities are now awaiting further forensic confirmation to positively identify the remains as Devaraj’s.
The accused have been booked under Section 103 of the BNS for murder and are currently in police custody for three days for further interrogation, Inspector Pasha confirmed.
