Bengaluru man injured during drinking session, friends kill him and dump body in well ‘to avoid consequences’

According to the police, Vinod and his friends went to an agricultural farm at around 1 pm on January 1 to celebrate the New Year. They consumed alcohol, and the accused allegedly asked Vinod to climb a coconut tree to pluck tender coconuts, intending to mix tender coconut water with liquor. He reportedly lost his balance and fell from a height of nearly 30 ft and suffered a serious spinal cord injury.

“As Vinod screamed in pain, the accused panicked. They initially decided to take him home but later feared villagers might question them and that the cost of his medical treatment would run into several lakhs of rupees,” a police officer said.

To avoid this responsibility, the accused allegedly drowned Vinod in a lake in a secluded area near Vajarahalli. Later in the same evening, they allegedly retrieved the body, tied it to a stone with a wire, dumped it into a well, and fled.

The body was discovered on January 17, when villagers noticed it and alerted the police.

After Vinod did not return home on January 1, his grandfather filed a missing-person complaint on January 2. While the police launched a search, Vinod’s parents, who live in Bengaluru, searched for him in the city, suspecting he might have travelled there. CCTV footage from nearby areas was analysed, but no major leads emerged.

“As Vinod was last seen with the accused, they were detained for questioning. During the interrogation, both confessed to killing him due to fear of medical expenses and legal consequences,” the officer said.

The accused were arrested on January 18 and remanded in police custody for further investigation.