Bengaluru man beats to death minor son over mobile phone addiction, attempts to secretly cremate body

According to the FIR, Ravikumar became enraged during an altercation on Friday and reportedly told Tejas, “It doesn’t matter if a son like you lives or dies,” before assaulting him. After Tejas’s death, Ravikumar allegedly attempted to cremate the body without informing the police or anyone else. The Kumaraswamy Layout police arrested Ravikumar based on the complaint of his wife and Tejas’s mother, Shashikala B.

As per the complaint, on Friday morning, around 8 am, an argument escalated, and Ravikumar, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, hit Tejas with a cricket bat multiple times in his back and legs. He then allegedly smashed Tejas’s head against a wall, causing severe injuries that led to the boy’s collapse.

Shashikala said she initially dismissed the incident as routine domestic tension and left the house. Tejas’s older sibling was not at home during the assault, she said.

In her statement, Shashikala recounted an argument the previous night when Tejas demanded repairs for his mobile phone. “I told him I would look into it if he attended school. My husband also advised him not to ruin his life. Tejas became angry, hit me, and used abusive language,” she said. Shashikala said left for a nearby temple to avoid further conflict.

She said when she returned on Friday morning, she witnessed Ravikumar and Tejas quarrelling again. After leaving for the temple a second time, she came back in the afternoon to find Tejas struggling to breathe. Along with Tejas’s friend Kishore, she rushed him to the hospital around 3 pm, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Shashikala also alleged that Ravikumar attempted to cover up the crime by disposing of the cricket bat used in the assault. The Kumaraswamy Layout police said they were alerted when preparations for Tejas’s last rites were underway.

Ravikumar was produced in court on Saturday and remanded in judicial custody, a senior officer said.