Bengaluru: The Kodigehalli police have cracked a double murder that happened last week and arrested a 27-year-old car driver. A 68-year-old retired employee of University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK and his 60-year-old wife were stabbed to death at their residence in Byatarayanapura off the Ballari-Bengaluru road. The police said it was a case of murder for gain as after committing the crime the murderer had escaped with the mangalasutra of the woman.
The accused, identified as Venkatesh alias Pilla Venkatesh, was a driver by profession and a resident of Meesaganahalli village near Yelahanka, who was also into chit fund business. On July 5, highly decomposed bodies of the victims, R Muniyappa and his wife Varalakshmi, were found with stab injuries and their throats slit at their residence. According to the police, the murder had taken place at least a couple of days earlier.
The police said that the couple's younger son Prithviraj had come in contact with Venkatesh, as he was working with his friend Nishanth. Nishanth often used to visit the couples' residence to meet Prithviraj and Venkatesh used to drop him. Venkatesh came to know that the couple were into chit fund business. He had once approached them for money, but did not get it.
Venkatesh noticed that Varalakshmi used to wear a big sized mangalasutra and hatched a plot to kill the couple and rob the chain. He also came to know that the couple was searching for a bride for Prithviraj and he gained entry into the house under the pretext of providing details of a prospective bride. As soon as Muniyappa opened the door, he hugged his victim and stabbed him repeatedly. Then he went to the first floor and stabbed Varalakshmi after which he robbed her managalasutra, the police said.
Venkatesh, who had failed sixth standard, was living with his elder brother after the death of his parents. He also knew that there was CCTV camera installed in the couple's residence, but was not in working condition. He left no clues at the crime spot, said a senior police officer.
