A 25-year-old would-be goon ganged up with eight others to kill a rival who had mocked him on Facebook, police said. 

Adarsha Nagar resident Hemanth alias Gidi Gidi, 25, was involved in a murder at the age of 16 and wanted to make it big in the mafia circles. Meanwhile, Lokesh alias Mashana Loki, 34, a history-sheeter and an associate of gangster ‘Cycle’ Ravi, created a Facebook profile in the name of ‘Muku Muku’ and mocked Hemanth. 

Hemanth fought with Lokesh and even filed a complaint with the cybercrime police but eventually reached a compromise. But he didn’t give up revenge. 

Combining his mafia ambitions with the desire for revenge, Hemanth roped in his trusted lieutenant Sagara alias ‘Seven’ Sagara, a 22-year-old resident of Ittamadu. They got another seven men on board. But the gang’s attempt to kill Lokesh in December failed. They didn’t give up. 

On the night of January 22, Sandesh alias Charlie, another member of the gang, spotted Lokesh going home alone. He said Hemanth wanted to talk to him and alerted the former. 

Lokesh, who had forgotten the Facebook issue, walked into the trap and met Hemanth at a place in Chamarajpet police station limits. Hemanth and others then hacked him to death. 

Police identified the other suspects as Praveen alias Shooter, 22, of Jayanagar, Tejas alias Bulli, 22, of RR Nagar, Uday alias Kappe, 19, of Ittamadu, and Yeshwanth, 21, of Kathriguppe, Sagar alias Sagi, 19, of Srinagar, and Ravi, 23, of KR Puram.