Driver's half burnt body found

The owner got suspicious on hearing choked voice over phone

The Hebbagodi police have identified the deceased as Rangaswamy, a resident of Belandur and a native of Turuvekere. The murder came to light when the residents of the locality got suspicious on seeing an SUV parked for over two days and alerted the jurisdictional police. The police broke open the vehicle door only to see the partially burnt body with multiple stab injuries.

On Tuesday night, Bony Joseph, owner of Jeo Travels, with whom the victim was working, had lodged a missing and kidnapping complaint with the HSR Layout police.

According to the complainant, on November 8 around 8.30 pm, a youth booked an SUV over telephone to travel to Kodagu. Rangaswamy was sent to pick him from Kormangala Games Village. After almost eight hours, Rangaswamy called up the office and informed that he had stopped at Channapatna and is moving towards Mysore.

On hearing the choked voice, Bony Joseph got suspicious. When he called back the number he came to know that the call came from a public coin booth. When his efforts to contact Rangaswamy over his cellphone went in vain, he decided to go to the police.

Sources said, Rangaswamy, a teetotaller, was married and had a three-month-old baby. For the last one-and-a-half years, he was working with Bony Joseph. There were several stab injuries and the culprits had tried to destroy the evidence by burning the body. The case has been transferred to HSR Layout police.

Baby abandoned

A newborn baby wrapped in a plastic cover was found in Chandra Layout on Wednesday.
Passersby spotted the baby boy at Gayathrinagar 6th Cross and informed the police. The baby has been shifted to St Martha’s Hospital.

Duo decamp with lorry

The driver of a transport company, who was employed just a week ago, with the cleaner in tow, allegedly fled away with a lorry loaded with TMT coils, worth over Rs four lakh, in Ramamurthynagar. Salim Khan, proprietor of S S Transports, has lodged a complaint with the police that driver Venkat Reddy, who had joined the firm on November 3, and the cleaner Srinivas, fled with the vehicle on Sunday. The load was to be delivered at Malur in Kolar district. The vehicle was parked at Sri Enterprises on Old Madras Road on Saturday and the duo had slept there. The next morning, they reportedly ran away with it.

Youth commits suicide

A youth hanged himself at his RPC Layout residence on Tuesday. Vijayanagar police said, Prasanna Kumar (25), an alcoholic took the extreme step because he was suffering from jaundice.

2 held, 12 bikes recovered

Police arrested two persons on charges of vehicle theft and recovered 12 bikes worth Rs 5.50 lakh from them. The City Market police arrested Syed Ahmed (20), of Chikkabasti and recovered five bikes worth Rs 2 lakh from him. In another incident, the Malleswaram police arrested Jagannath (23), from Srirampura and recovered seven bikes worth Rs 3.50 lakh from him.