BENGALURU: A 46-year-old man allegedly burnt a woman alive inside a car before ending his life by coming under a moving train.
The victim, Saroja (35), was a resident of Devanahalli and worked as a Kannada lecturer in a private college, while the deceased has been identified as Ramanjinappa, a resident of Marasandra village, who worked as a contract-based employee at the taluk office in Doddaballapur. He was a divorcee.
Saroja was murdered near Jinke Bachahalli under the Doddaballapur Rural police station limits on Saturday, while Ramanjinappa’s body was found on a railway track near Bidadi on Sunday.
The police said that on Saturday local residents found a burnt car with a charred woman inside in a deserted area of the Jinke Bachahalli forest range and alerted the police. The woman inside the car was burnt beyond recognition. Preliminary investigation revealed that the car belonged to Ramanjinappa’s neighbour Suresh.
Ramanjinappa borrowed the car, claiming he needed it to take a family member to hospital. A half-burnt shirt and a mobile phone found near the spot indicated Ramanjinappa’s involvement in the murder.
The police had launched a search for him as he had absconded. Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, he allegedly died by suicide by jumping before a train on Bidadi–Hejjala track. Railway police found his Aadhaar card near the spot and confirmed his identity.
A police officer said the accused had planned the murder and carried kept petrol in the car. He is also believed to have sustained burn injuries while committing the crime. After the murder, he returned home, where neighbours questioned him about the injuries. He initially claimed it was an acid attack, but later allegedly confessed the crime to a close aide.
The police suspect that the two were in an illicit relationship and that a quarrel between them led Ramanjinappa to murder her. Fearing he would be caught, he later ended his life, the officer said.