Biz rival, aides ’strangle man, set him afire’

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, July 12, 2014: The charred body of the 28-year-old businessman, Manjunath, who went missing from his shop at RMC yard in Yeshwantpur on June 27, has been found in Yellandur, Chamarajanagar district.

The police have arrested two men — Govindaraju, 23 and Lakshmipathy, 25 — in connection with the murder, while three others are at large.
 According to the police, the murder was plotted by Kumar, a merchant whose shop is located to Manjunath’s vegetable store. Kumar was jealous of Manjunath’s good business.

Around three months ago, the two men reportedly had an argument over a petty issue which then snowballed into a feud. The two began fighting frequently. Kumar got so furious that he decided to eliminate Manjunath.

 The police said that Kumar then conspired with some of his labourers to murder Manjunath.

On the night of June 27, Lokesh, a clerk in Kumar’s shop, invited Manjunath for a drink at Yashaswini bar in Yeshwantpur. Lokesh ensured to get Manjunath drunk, after which he and his accomplices eased him into a car.

As they drove near Yeshwantpur railway parallel road, they hit Manjunath on the head with an iron rod, making him unconscious. They took him to a deserted place in Yellandur and strangled him with his own trousers.

They then doused the body in petrol and set it afire.

The Subramanyanagar police began investigating the case after Manjunath’s parents made a missing person complaint on July 1. On June 28, the Yellandur police registered a case of an unidentified body found.

 The Subramanyanagar police detained Govindaraju and Lakshmipathy who confessed to the crime. They are  looking for Kumar, Lokesh and Chikka Hanumanthaih.