Two held for murder of City realtors in Kollegal

Two men have been arrested for the brutal murder of two City realtors in Kollegal, Chamarajanagar district on February 10.

The two decapitated, half-burnt bodies, later identified with the help of a finger ring as residents of Doddakannahalli near HSR Layout, Biju Thomas, 35, and Suji Thomas, 38, were found by forest officers in the Jaggeri forest area of Kollegal taluk, last Monday.
Police said the prime suspect T Arun Rao, 60, and his “accomplice” Ningaraju, 38, have been arrested for the murder. A manhunt has been launched for the third suspect, Arun’s driver Rudragowda Patil.

The police have seized a knife, iron rod, gunny bags, a Scorpio car belonging to Arun and a two-wheeler belonging to Ningaraju, and other objects used in the crime.
Chamarajanagar Superintendent of Police Rajendra Prasad said in Kollegal that when the victims were reported missing at the HSR Layout police station, their photos were circulated. The Kollegal rural police matched a finger ring in the pictures to one from the bodies, helping identify the victims. It may be noted that the condition the bodies were found in raised suspicion that the assailants had tried to destroy evidence.

The search for the victims' severed heads led the police to a water channel near Jaggeri. Based on the information provided by the victims’ kin, police picked up Ningaraju from his house at Puttashetty Doddi near Kollegal. He “confessed” to the crime during interrogation. Following this, police summoned Rao, who then surrendered.

According to the police, Suji’s brother-in-law Binu Verma and Rao were members of Indiranagar Club, where they used to meet frequently. Verma had introduced Suji to Rao, saying he was into oil business in Kuwait, Dubai and other places in West Asia. Suji asked Rao to invest some money and make good profits, and accordingly, gave him Rs 2.45 crore — a cheque for Rs two crore and Rs 45 lakh in cash — in 2011.
They had agreed that Suji would repay the money within three months, but he defaulted and escaped to Kuwait, added the police. Suji returned to India next year.
Meanwhile, Rao had filed a complaint against Suji at the Baiyyappanahalli police station.

Passport impounded

On Suji’s return, the police impounded his passport and asked him to settle the amount with Rao, which he could not.

He told Rao he was into the nursing placement business, and would get commission and pay him back at the earliest.

On February 10, Rao, a dialysis patient, went to the Manipal Hospital for check-up and found Suji there.

Rao asked Suji to meet him at the Sathegal handpost near Kollegal that evening. Suji took his friend Biju to Sathegal handpost in his Honda City car on the pretext of going for a drink. As per his plan, Rao murdered them there with the help of Rudragowda and Ningaraju.

Bludgeoned to death

As the car stopped near Yemmattibayalu near Jaggeri, the suspect tied the victims’ hands and legs and bludgeoned their heads. Later, he severed the heads.

They put the severed heads, clothes, shoes and weapons in a gunny bag and threw them into a nearby water channel and left in Suji’s car.

“Biju had no connection with the case, but paid the price for having accompanied Suji. Rao, who had lost all his money, was staying in a rented house in the City, and this had made him furious. That is why he decided to kill Suji, but ended up killing Biju too,” said the police.