Karnataka: Man kills business partner over Rs 30 lakh debt, later exhumes body to burn and cover tracks
Bengaluru realtor Rajkumar S kidnapped, killed business partner Devaraju NC over Rs 30 lakh debt, then attempted to dispose of body, but was caught after accomplice confessed to crime.
FollowBengaluru: A chilling crime in Bengaluru has shaken the community, with a realtor kidnapping, killing, and attempting to dispose of his business partner's body in a gruesome reenactment of the movie Drishyam 2. The victim, 65-year-old Devaraju NC, went missing on October 17, and his family lodged a complaint with the Doddaballapur Rural police the next day.
As investigations unfolded, police discovered that the prime suspect, Rajkumar S, 47, owed Devaraju approximately Rs 30 lakh and had concocted an elaborate plan to eliminate him. Rajkumar, along with his accomplice Anil Mora, 40, dug a 20-foot deep pit on his vacant land, kidnapped Devaraju, and strangled him to death.
"Rajkumar roped in Mora, promising him Rs 5 lakh. First, using an earthmover, they dug a 20-foot deep pit on his vacant land near Infocity, Doddaballapur, on Oct 14. Three days later, they kidnapped Devaraju. Mora strangled him to death in a desolate place near Doddaballapura as Rajkumar held the victim's hands and legs. As planned earlier, they buried the body at night and filled up the pit with soil," police said.
In a twisted attempt to cover their tracks, the trio buried the body, only to exhume it a month later due to constructions in the area. At this juncture, Nagappa Sadhu, 35, joined the duo and they burnt the body it in a metal drum, and disperse the ashes in Madhure Lake.Â
"Pouring petrol into the drum, they burned the body. Taking the drum in a vehicle, the three reached Madhure Lake at night. There, they emptied the drum's contents into the lake," a police official said.
However, their plan began to unravel when Rajkumar's alibi raised suspicions. He had claimed to have been kidnapped and attacked by masked men, but police noticed that his stab wounds appeared to be self-inflicted.
As the investigation progressed, police inspector Sadiq Pasha and his team traced Devaraju's gearless scooter to a desolate area and SP CK Baba discovered inconsistencies in Rajkumar's statements from Tumakuru police. The breakthrough came when Anil Mora was apprehended in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, and confessed to the crime, revealing the shocking details of the murder and cover-up.
With Rajkumar and his accomplices now in police custody, the case will proceed to trial. The Forensic Science Laboratory will conduct DNA tests on hair samples found in the lake to confirm whether they belong to Devaraju.Â
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