An undated photograph of the prime suspect Kadamba
Credit: Special Arrangement
Bengaluru: A 23-year-old man accused of stabbing four people in Bengaluru tried to mislead investigators by travelling to Tamil Nadu every night with his father, the police said.
Kadamba, a rowdy-sheeter at the Indiranagar police station, allegedly attacked Jashwanth P, 19, Mahesh Sitapati S, 23, Deepak Kumar Varma, 24, and Tammaiah, 44, with a sharp object, targeting their neck and jaw, on the intervening night of February 9 and 10.
After a weeklong chase, the police arrested Kadamba from a moving BMTC bus near Hoskote on February 15. His father Suresh, elder brother Vishnu, and sister Sushmitha were also taken into custody.
Elaborate escape plan
According to the police, Kadamba managed to evade five teams for a week with his father’s help. He constantly changed hideouts and travelled frequently while seeking a lawyer to secure his bail.
"Soon after the stabbings, he abandoned a scooter stolen from his fifth victim on the city’s outskirts, found a hideout, and contacted his father and brother," an investigating officer said.
Suresh and Vishnu met him near Hoskote. Suresh later joined Kadamba in executing the escape plan.
"Starting February 10, they took a bus to Tamil Nadu every evening and returned to Bengaluru in the morning. They would then use a two-wheeler to visit lawyers,” the officer added.
When they needed rest, they reached out to friends and relatives — some refused to help, but others provided shelter.
This continued until the afternoon of February 14, when the police traced Suresh to Seshadripuram, where he was desperately seeking legal help. However, the lawyer he approached refused to assist Kadamba.
Crucial leads
To avoid detection, Kadamba frequently changed SIM cards and accessed his social media accounts only once a week. His cover was blown when facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras led the police to Suresh, resulting in his arrest.
Kadamba’s sister, Sushmitha, was arrested after failing to respond to a police notice, though she provided little information about his whereabouts.
The police then mapped Kadamba’s movements and alerted informants. Their efforts paid off when an informant spotted him and tipped them off, leading to his capture. His brother Vishnu was arrested two days later.
Authorities have yet to recover Kadamba’s weapon, the stolen scooter, or the mobile phone of his fifth victim.
A Vishnuvardhan fan
The police revealed that Suresh is a devoted fan of Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan and named his sons Vishnu and Kadamba after the 2004 film Kadamba.