BENGALURU: A shocking quarrel between two friends over a cigarette lighter, while under the influence of alcohol, ended in the death of a 33-year-old man. What initially appeared to be an accident was later revealed to be a case of murder. The incident took place in Kammasandra village in Hebbagodi police station limits on Sunday night.
The deceased was identified as Prashanth M, a resident of Veerasandra. The accused Roshan Hegde (36), a software engineer from Udupi and a resident of Vignan Nagar, was arrested.
Police said around 9.30pm Sunday, a group of five friends was consuming alcohol at a playground in Kammasandra.
A quarrel broke out between Roshan and Prashanth over a cigarette lighter, which escalated when the latter allegedly assaulted the former with a beer bottle, causing an injury to his tongue. Following the altercation, Roshan decided to leave the spot in his SUV but Prashanth followed him and hopped on to the footboard of the vehicle, all the while abusing him.
Roshan drove recklessly for nearly 400 metres, during which he lost control of the vehicle, crashed into a compound wall and later rammed a roadside tree. Prashanth, who was hanging on to the left-side window of the SUV, sustained severe head injuries and died on the spot, while Roshan suffered minor injuries.
Police said the incident was captured on CCTV and the car’s dashcam. Footage reportedly shows Prashanth telling Roshan he would be responsible for his death and asking him to slow down. A murder case was registered at Hebbagodi police station, and the accused was arrested within an hour of the FIR being filed.
Prashanth’s mother, Anu, told reporters her son was extremely passionate about cricket and had participated in a cricket tournament held in Kammasandra, which his team lost on Saturday. An argument had reportedly broken out between her son and Roshan during the tournament. After returning home that day, Prashanth had expressed disappointment over the team’s loss. On Sunday evening, he went to Kammasandra ground and did not return.