Missing Bengaluru techie found murdered with hammer by cousin in Andhra Pradesh: Report

Shrinath K, a missing tech professional from Bengaluru, was discovered dead in Andhra Pradesh. His cousin Prabhakar is accused of the murder.

A Bengaluru tech professional who vanished in late October has been found dead in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The body of 34-year-old software engineer Shrinath K, reported missing from Attibele on October 27, was discovered buried inside an abandoned house near Kuppam in Chittoor district. The remains were exhumed on November 16.

A Bengaluru software engineer, Shrinath K, was found dead in Andhra Pradesh after being reported missing. (HT PHOTO)

Police say Shrinath was murdered by his cousin, 39-year-old Prabhakar, a resident of Kuppam and a known offender, according to a report by The Times of India. Prabhakar and his associate, 35-year-old Jagadish, also a history-sheeter, have both been arrested.

Shrinath lived with his wife, Neha MP, and their child in Smilee Celestial Layout at Neraluru, Bengaluru. After he failed to return home, Neha approached Attibele police on November 1 and filed a missing person complaint. She told investigators that her husband had gone to meet Prabhakar in Kuppam on the day he disappeared and strongly suspected his involvement.

A financial dispute surfaces

According to the police, the investigation revealed that the two cousins had recently discussed a business deal. Prabhakar had attended Shrinath’s housewarming earlier and had persuaded him to invest ₹40 lakh by promising to double the money. Shrinath reportedly borrowed the amount and handed it over.

When questioned initially, Prabhakar denied meeting Shrinath and insisted he was in Bengaluru with another relative. He even produced what appeared to be supporting evidence, leading police to temporarily rule him out. However, Neha continued to press investigators, saying her husband had indeed transferred a large sum of money to Prabhakar.

Acting on these allegations, senior officials instructed Attibele police to re-examine the case. The missing person complaint was upgraded to a kidnapping case, and Prabhakar was taken into custody on November 13, said the report.

Confession after prolonged interrogation

During questioning, Prabhakar suddenly attempted to shift blame onto Neha, accusing her of killing Shrinath, a claim that immediately raised police suspicion, as no murder theory had been suggested until then. Under sustained interrogation, Prabhakar eventually admitted to the crime.

He told police he had lured Shrinath to a government housing colony in Kuppam, attacked him with a hammer, and buried the body with Jagadish’s help in an unoccupied building nearby. Prabhakar claimed he had received only ₹10 lakh from Shrinath and returned ₹5 lakh. When Shrinath repeatedly demanded the remaining money, he decided to eliminate him. Police said further investigation is underway.

HT.com has not independently verified the authenticity of this information.