BENGALURU: A 29-year-old techie was killed, while his friend survived the murder bid after a drunk man crashed his car into their bike. The crime was over a petty incident: The accused wanted the victim to buy him a cigarette, but the latter refused.
The victim, HN Sanjay, was a resident of Vajarahalli on Kanakapura Main Road, while the injured, Chetan Pujamath (30), stays in JP Nagar 7th Phase. The accused Pratheek (31), a BCom graduate and a manager at a private company, is a resident of RR Nagar.
On May 10, the two friends, both techies, were working at Sanjay’s house. Early in the morning, they wanted to drink tea and went out on their two-wheeler. Around 3.50 am when they were having tea at a roadside stall, a car drove up next to them. Pratheek, who was returning home with his wife from a birthday party, asked the techies to get him a cigarette. When Chetan refused, Pratheek, who was reportedly drunk, got down from his car and started arguing. Sanjay and others at the tea stall intervened, while Pratheek’s wife forced him back into the car.
“As Sanjay was riding back home with Chetan on the pillion, Pratheek drove behind them and crashed his car into their bike. Chetan slid on the car’s bonnet and sustained minor injuries,” said the police.
Accused in judicial custody
“But Sanjay fell along with the bike and banged his head against the shutters of a pharmacy and the pavement. He was admitted to a hospital, where he died on Tuesday,” the police said.
The Subramanyapura police had first filed an attempt to murder case against Pratheek and later turned it into a murder charge after Sanjay’s death. He has been remanded in judicial custody. “Pratheek, a BCom graduate, was working as a manager in a private firm. His wife did not have any role in the crime,” the officer added.