In a significant development in Bengaluru, police shot two men early Friday morning near the Bannerghatta area after they allegedly kidnapped and murdered a 13-year-old school boy for ransom.
The suspects have been identified as Gurumurthy and his accomplice, Gopikrishna (also known as Gopala Krishna), who are accused of abducting the deceased, Nischith A, a Class 8 student from Christ School who lived in Arekere’s Vysya Bank Colony, news agency PTI reported.
Both the accused are said to be drivers, who knew the deceased boy's father. Nischith was reportedly taken on Wednesday evening while returning home from tuition. When he failed to arrive home, his father, Achutha JC, filed a kidnapping complaint at around 10:30 pm at the Hulimavu police station. His bicycle was later found abandoned near a park.
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By Thursday evening, the search came to a heart breaking end when Nischith’s burned remains were located in a remote, rocky area near Bannerghatta-Gottigere Road. Based on a local tip-off, officers tracked the suspected killers to the Kaggalipura Road area.
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{{/usCountry}}A police team attempted to arrest the men, however, the suspects allegedly resisted aggressively, attacking officers with a dagger, the report said. In response, police fired warning shots, but when the duo tried to escape, officers opened fire in self-defence, it stated.
Gurumurthy was shot in both legs, and Gopikrishna was hit in the right leg. Both men were immediately taken to a hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment, it added.
Investigators believe that Nischith was murdered the same night he was taken, possibly out of fear that authorities would link the crime to Gurumurthy due to his past employment with the victim's family. A formal case has been lodged under multiple charges, including murder, abduction, and assault on police officers, at the Bannerghatta police station.