‘Cinematic-style plan’: How a Bengaluru ‘accident’ unravelled into a murder-for-robbery plot
The Bengaluru police arrested five men in connection with the crime, which resulted in the death of the victim on April 27.
The case initially began as a theft complaint filed by one of Vijayalakshmi’s relatives while she was still in the hospital. Express Photo What initially appeared to be a routine road accident in Bengaluru’s Kurubarahalli in April has now emerged as an alleged planned murder-for-robbery conspiracy, with the police claiming Friday that an elderly woman was deliberately knocked down to facilitate theft at her house.
The Bengaluru police announced the arrest of five people in connection with the murder after the accident, which occurred on April 20, 2026, on Pipeline Road.
According to the police, the accused have been identified as Rakesh, Manjunath, Chetan, Pradeep and Yohan. The police said Pradeep and Manjunath were criminals with multiple criminal cases registered against them in Bengaluru and the other accused were allegedly associated with them.
The victim, Vijayalakshmi, who sustained severe injuries in the incident, was admitted to the hospital immediately after the crash. However, she succumbed to her injuries on April 27 while undergoing treatment.
An acquaintance, a melee and attempted theft
According to investigators, the conspiracy was allegedly masterminded by Chetan, who was known to the victim and had earlier borrowed money from her. The police said he was aware that Vijayalakshmi kept cash and gold ornaments at her residence and allegedly plotted with the others to target her, while the others executed the plan.
The police said the accused carefully executed a “cinematic-style” plan to make the crime appear like a genuine road accident.
As per the investigation, Vijayalakshmi was walking along Pipeline Road when one of the accused, Rakesh, allegedly rammed his motorcycle into her deliberately. Moments later, the remaining accused arrived at the spot in an auto-rickshaw, pretending to help the injured woman and shifting her to the hospital.
During the chaos at the hospital, Manjunath allegedly stole the keys to Vijayalakshmi’s house from her handbag. The police said he later went to the victim’s house intending to commit theft, but fled after neighbours became suspicious and questioned him. Investigators said he allegedly told residents that he had come to collect an Aadhaar card before leaving the area.
In an attempt to avoid suspicion, Rakesh later approached a traffic police station and allegedly filed a misleading complaint stating that an unidentified vehicle had hit a woman known to him and that he had merely helped shift her to the hospital.
A complaint and suspicion
The case initially began as a theft complaint filed by one of Vijayalakshmi’s relatives while she was still in the hospital. The police said the complaint raised suspicion as there appeared to be inconsistencies surrounding the incident and the attempted entry into the victim’s house.
During the investigation, the police analysed CCTV footage, technical evidence, and statements from witnesses and the accused, which allegedly exposed the larger conspiracy behind the incident.
“We found that the so-called accident was staged as part of a planned murder to facilitate robbery,” a police officer said.
The police said all the accused, except Manjunath, were remanded to judicial custody.
Meanwhile, Manjunath died while in custody after reportedly suffering from a prolonged illness. According to the police, he complained of severe stomach pain around 2 am on May 2 and was immediately shifted to Victoria Hospital.
However, his condition deteriorated and doctors declared him dead at around 9.20 am on May 5. “Necessary legal formalities have been followed,” a police officer said.
Following the findings, the police booked the accused under charges related to murder, criminal conspiracy, robbery attempt and other relevant sections. Further investigation is underway to determine the role of each accused in the alleged conspiracy.
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