3 min readBengaluruJun 22, 2026 02:51 PM IST
First published on: Jun 22, 2026 at 02:46 PM IST
The Karnataka Police Sunday arrested four people from Anekal for the murder of a 32-year-old gym trainer whose body was found near Bannerghatta on the outskirts of Bengaluru earlier this month.
The victim’s family has alleged that a wealthy and politically connected real estate developer orchestrated a contract killing because the gym trainer was in a romantic relationship with his daughter.
The victim was identified as Vijay Yadav, a native of Mulbagal in the Kolar district who resided in Electronics City.
The police found an unidentified body near Bannerghatta on June 9 and initiated a probe. They registered a murder case and identified the victim as Yadav, based on a missing person complaint filed by his family and marks on the body. In their complaint, the family stated that Yadav had been missing since June 6 and his phone had been switched off.
The police identified the four arrested suspects as Srirama, Sumith, Venkateshaiah, and Babu, all residents of Anekal.
Based on the call detail records (CDR) and other evidence, the police arrested the four accused, identified as Srirama, Sumith, Venkateshaiah, and Babu, all residents of Anekal.
S Girish, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Central Range, said the accused have been taken into police custody for further questioning. Asked if there was a realtor involved in the killing, Girish said that it is part of the investigation and will be revealed later.
Strained marriage
Meanwhile, Yadav’s cousin Vasudev Reddy told the police that Yadav had been living separately from his wife and two children for two years.
“Yadav met the realtor’s daughter a few years ago when she joined his gym. When her father discovered the affair, Yadav was physically assaulted, issued death threats, and warned to leave Bengaluru,” alleged Reddy.
Reddy said Yadav returned to his village near Mulbagal, where he engaged in agriculture. However, due to financial losses, he recently returned to Bengaluru. By this time, Yadav’s wife had discovered his affair and filed for divorce.
The court also ordered Yadav to provide maintenance to her, according to Reddy. In one of the court hearings, Yadav allegedly slapped his wife inside the court and is facing criminal charges in that case, he said.
Reddy said Yadav defied the warnings and eloped to North India with the realtor’s daughter, triggering a missing person complaint at the K R Puram police station. Following a 21-day multi-state police hunt, the duo was intercepted in Chitradurga, and the woman was returned to her parents, he said.
“The realtor is an influential and rich businessman who has contacts with top police officers. The one who killed Yadav had no links or enmity with him,” alleged Reddy.
Meanwhile, sources indicated that the realtor had hired the killers through a lawyer to eliminate Yadav.
The police suspect Vijay Yadav's killing is linked to his relationship with a realtor’s daughter. (Express photo/special arrangement). 
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