Nagaraj alias Guddu, 48, of Arundhati Layout in Bengaluru was arrested for killing Rajanna yesterday. The police said Rajanna was murdered after a fight between the two on March 21, over a cigarette.
Rajanna and Nagaraj had been friends for some 15 years, and both were involved in real estate brokerage.
On March 21, both men had a couple of drinks at a club in Chandra Layout and stepped around 11.30 pm. Nagaraj proceeded to smoke a cigarette and allegedly blew the smoke across Rajanna’s face.
Angered by the act, Rajanna slapped Nagaraj, leading to both exchanging heated words. The police had to intervene and send both men home.
Once Nagaraj reached home, he allegedly called up Rajanna and verbally abused him over the phone. He also challenged Rajanna to speak to him face-to-face, right that moment.
Rajanna, who was eating dinner at home, immediately left his residence to meet Nagaraj. But as he was walking past Chandragiri Palace, Rajanna lost his balance and stumbled to the ground. Nagaraj reached the spot and struck Rajanna on his head, which led to his death.
Nagaraj immediately fled the area and police said that he was hiding in Tamil Nadu and Mysore to escape arrest. But he had recently called his uncle, informing him that he would come to Bengaluru soon.
The police, who had tapped his phone, traced Nagaraj through the call network and arrested him in Kollegal, as he was on the way to Bengaluru.
