Bengaluru: Silicon City woke up to a brutal double murder on Monday. A gang of six hacked a rowdy-sheeter Tamma Manja (30), a resident of Tlaghattapura, and Varun Reddy (24), a resident of BTM Layout, to death on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday near Puttenahalli Junction on J.P. Nagar 24th Main Road.
The killers have disfigured the faces of both, bringing back the issue of absence of any fear among criminals in the city.
Tamma Manja, a rowdy in Talaghattapura, was going with his friend Varun Reddy, son of a realtor, on a scooter after dinner when they were attacked. The killers who were waiting and watching them chased them in their car.
The miscreants rammed the car into the scooter and Varun, who was on the pillion fell down. He was hacked to death near Axis Bank ATM, while Manju was chased by another batch of killers. He was killed near Nandini Hotel at Puttenahalli Junction. Both bodies were lying at a distance of about 200 metres.
The killers crashed their car into an electric pole while chasing the duo. They later abandoned the vehicle as it was badly damaged and fled the spot.
Varun Reddy
The police traced the car to Veerabhadra Swamy and are gathering more information to know how the car came into the possession of the killers.
The investigators are looking into the angle of rivalry in the real estate business and also whether someone from Varun’s close circle gave supari to finish him off.
But it is mainly suspected that it is the handiwork of associates of Tablet Raghu.
Two years ago, Rowdy Manja was involved in the murder of Tablet Raghu, who was killed near Pipeline on NICE Road. He was said to be involved in another murder. Manja was also involved in threatening and extortion cases in J.P. Nagar and Kumaraswamy Layout police limits. He came out of jail on bail some six months ago.
The associates of Tablet Raghu, who were waiting for an opportunity to avenge the killing of their gang member, have planned and executed the double murder, the police said.
Though there was a CCTV camera near a furniture showroom, it was not functioning for the last eight days. The police are looking out for other clues.
Dr Rohini Katoch, DCP South, said that special teams have been formed to catch the culprits. She also said that preliminary investigation revealed that Varun had no criminal background.
