Investigation has revealed that the prime suspect arrested for the kidnapping and murder of a 13-year-old boy in Bengaluru last week was acquitted in a case of sexual assault on a minor girl in June 2023.
Gurumurthy S alias Nandeesha, 25, was shot at and arrested by the Hulimavu police in Southeast Bengaluru on Friday for allegedly murdering the boy after kidnapping him as he returned from tuition classes.
Sources with the police said Gurumurthy was earlier in prison from September 2020 to January 2021 in the case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act before being released on bail.
Speaking about last week’s case, police sources said the victim’s parents – a data analyst at a multinational tech firm and a college lecturer – had hired the suspect as a driver a few times, first getting in touch with him through a rental service, and later contacting him personally.
“The driver was acquainted with the family after his services were obtained on seven to eight occasions to drive them in Bengaluru. He was initially hired via an app, but he later requested the family to call him directly to avail his services as it would help him earn more,” a source with the police revealed.
Investigators believe Gurumurthy, the prime suspect in the case, allegedly used this familiarity to kidnap the boy on July 30 before demanding a ransom of Rs 5 lakh from the parents.
“Gurumurthy, who has attempted to do a course in journalism as well as travel and tourism but never completed them, may have psychopathic tendencies,” a police source said, adding that “it is possible the suspect may have enticed the boy on previous occasions as well, and had probably killed him even before placing the ransom demand after the boy resisted him.”
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The Bengaluru police said the victim left home on his bicycle at 5 pm to attend tuition classes. When he failed to return by 8 pm, his parents contacted the tuition teacher, who told them that the boy left at 7.30 pm.
A desperate search by the family led to the discovery of his abandoned bicycle at a park in Shantiniketan Layout, Arikere, under the jurisdiction of the Hulimavu police station. After exhausting inquiries with relatives and friends, the parents filed a missing person complaint at 10.30 pm.
CCTV visuals obtained by the police indicate that the boy kept his bicycle aside and got onto Gurumurthy’s motorbike. The parents also informed the police that they had received a ransom call for Rs 5 lakh. The next day, the boy’s partially burnt body was found near the Bannerghatta area, around 10 km from where the bicycle was spotted.
After committing the murder, the suspect allegedly called his friend Gopalkrishna – who has also been arrested – to assist him in removing the body. Both men sustained bullet injuries in their legs when they allegedly tried to attack the police team in a bid to evade arrest.