Vegetable vendor killed in road rage in Hoskote

Four people attacked the victim after he argued with them over not driving properly and not allowing him to overtake

A 27-year-old man was murdered on Sunday when an altercation with a driver turned violent for not giving space to overtake on Kolar-Bengaluru National Highway (NH 75) on the outskirts of Bengaluru, a police officer said.

The officer said the incident took place when the victim, identified as Naveen Naik (27), a resident of Gangapura village in Hoskote taluk, was returning from Bengaluru to his shop in Hoskote on Sunday morning.

Hoskote police inspector M. Manjunath said: “Naveen Naik, a vegetable vendor in Kolar, was transporting vegetables to his shop from Bengaluru on Sunday morning. The incident took place at around 4:45 am when an Alto car passing in front of a Maruti van, which was being driven by the deceased, did not provide a way to overtake.”

“Naik overtook the vehicle with difficulty, stopped the vehicle, and then scolded the Alto driver for his erratic driving. Enraged by this, the four individuals in the car assaulted him with iron rods and fled the scene,” he said.

Naveen’s friend Chennakeshava, who was travelling in the car, fled the scene when the miscreants attempted to attack him, he added. After being informed about the incident, Hoskote deputy superintendent of police P Shankar Gowda Anna Saheb Patil went to the spot to conduct an inspection.

“A case has been registered under IPC section 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) and are investigating to trace the accused. Initial investigations suggest that the accused are from Kolar district, and through scientific evidence, we will nab them soon,” Manjunath added.