Three people were arrested for allegedly murdering a lecturer in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur after cheating him of Rs 15 lakh in the guise of securing him a teaching job in London, the police said Sunday.
The deceased has been identified as Chintamani native Ramanji, 30, a double-degree holder with an MSc in agriculture. He worked as a lecturer at a reputed private institution in Bengaluru.
The police said that while one of the accused, Sudhakar, is Ramanji’s friend, the others are Sudhakar’s brother Manoj, and friend Manjunath. All three were sent to 14 days’ judicial custody.
According to investigators, Ramanji wished to pursue a career abroad and shared his aspirations with his friend Sudhakar, who works at a finance firm. Sudhakar later claimed to have secured Ramanji a teaching position in London using his connections. Convinced by his assurances, Ramanji resigned from his job and began preparing travel documents, the police said. Over several weeks, he transferred approximately Rs 15 lakh to Sudhakar, believing that it would cover visa processing and recruitment expenses.
Officers said that on June 19, Sudhakar arrived at Ramanji’s family home in G Ramapura village, announcing that it was time for him to travel to London. The family bid farewell to the lecturer, unaware that it would be his final goodbye. Ramanji’s parents had died earlier.
“Initially, Sudhakar and the other accused took Ramanji to a lodge in Chintamani, claiming that there was some issue with the flight ticket and visa. The next day, Ramanji and the accused were traveling in a Thar SUV when one of the accused strangled him from behind using a rope. Later, they tied the body to a big stone and threw it into a well. The accused thought that no one would enquire about Ramanji’s whereabouts,” said a police officer.
On June 23, residents of Kempadenahalli village nearby discovered a decomposed body floating in a resident’s well. The corpse had been weighed down with stones to prevent it from surfacing, officers said.
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The Chintamani police subsequently circulated images of the victim’s clothing and belongings on social media to speed up his identification. Seeing this, Ramanji’s brother Viswanath approached the authorities the next day and confirmed that the deceased was indeed his brother after recognising the clothing.
The police said that Sudhakar confessed to the murder during questioning. He allegedly revealed that he had been unable to repay the money taken from Ramanji and, facing mounting pressure, decided to eliminate him. After the murder, the accused burned Ramanji’s belongings, including his passport and mobile phone, before disposing of his body in the well, they added.