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Long drive, then 2 deaths: Bengaluru man allegedly kills married friend, dies by suicide
The Bengaluru Rural police identified the car by its chassis number to trace the vehicle’s owner, then analysed Call Detail Records to identify the victim and the accused.
The Bengaluru Rural ppolice said the two had been in a relationship for nearly a year after meeting on a social media platform. Special Arrangement
A 40-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by a man known to her, who later set her body on fire inside a car before dying by suicide in the Doddaballapura taluk under Bengaluru Rural district, the police said Wednesday.
According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Saroja, a guest lecturer at a private college in Devanahalli, and the accused as Ramanjinappa, a realtor, who is suspected to have died by suicide later the same day. The police said that while Saroja was married, Ramanjinappa was divorced.
The police said the two had been in a relationship for nearly a year after meeting on a social media platform and that Ramanjinappa had been pressuring Saroja to marry him, but she had refused, leading to frequent disputes.
The police suspect that anger over her rejection may have driven him to plan the murder.
On May 2, Ramanjinappa allegedly took Saroja on a long car ride in a borrowed friend’s car. During the journey, an argument escalated, following which he is suspected of having attacked her with a hammer, killing her.
He then allegedly set the vehicle on fire near Jinkebachchahalli village in Doddaballapura taluk to destroy evidence and fled the scene. Passers-by noticed the burning vehicle and alerted authorities. Fire personnel later doused the flames, after which a charred body was recovered from the backseat.
“The body was found in a reclined position with the jaw facing upwards, suggesting the victim had been killed before the vehicle was set on fire,” said Sadiq Pasha, Inspector, Doddaballapura Rural Police Station.
How police traced the car
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Using the chassis number, the police traced the vehicle owner, Suresh Kumar, who told investigators he had received an alert about an accident involving the car and had been unable to contact Ramanjinappa.
The police then analysed the Call Detail Records (CDR) of the accused’s mobile phone numbers, which showed the highest frequency of contact was with Saroja.
Based on this, investigators also obtained her CDR, and later corroborated the findings with CCTV footage and other circumstantial evidence, which helped establish the sequence of events.
The police said Saroja’s body was identified by her husband.
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A day later, the Railway Police informed local authorities about a mangled body found on tracks near Bidadi, Bengaluru. The deceased was identified as Ramanjinappa through documents recovered from the spot, including his Aadhaar and ATM cards.
The police suspect Ramanjinappa died by suicide while attempting to evade capture after committing the crime.
A case of murder and suicide has been registered, and further investigation is underway.
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