Man in deep debt killed elderly couple: Police

'Suspect knew family well enough, won their confidence with his charm'

A 22-year-old man desperate to pay off his debts was behind the July 2 cold-blooded killing of a home-alone elderly couple in Kodigehalli, northeast Bengaluru, police said on Thursday.

M H Venkatesh alias Pilli Venkatesh, from Meesaganahalli in Devanahalli taluk, was in deep debt. He had borrowed from several people to lead a comfortable life and to pay for a chit fund. One of his friends was forcing him to repay the money. To repay him, he borrowed from a financier who threatened him with dire consequencesif he didn’t return the money in two days.

Venkatesh, who was working as a farm tractor driver, decided to murder the elderly couple — V Muniyappa, 68, and Varalakshmi, 61 — for gain and repay the loan. He knew the couple well. Muniyappa had retired as an assistant controller at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, while Varalakshmi was a homemaker. The couple have three sons but none of them lived with them.

Venkatesh, who previously worked as a gardener, had befriended them as their younger son, Prithviraj, was a good friend of Nishanth’s, son of Venkatesh’s former employer, Manjunath, who is an engineer from Yelahanka New Town. Venkatesh’s elder brother, Srinivas, had been working as a cook at Muniraju’s house for the past 10 years.

Venkatesh worked as a chauffeur for Nishanth and borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from his father. He stopped going to work and dodged Muniraju when he tried to contact him. Venkatesh got to know Prithviraj through Nishanth. He started visiting him at the couple’s house near Vinayaka Vidya Kendra off Byatarayanapura, Kodigehalli, and got close to the family.

According to police, the suspect used his charm to win the couple’s confidence. He would regularly help them in their household chores. Then one day, Prithviraj left for Visakhapatnam, leaving his parents alone. Venkatesh saw a golden opportunity and murdered them.

The gruesome murder came to light on July 5 when the couple’s son went home to check on them. Police arrested Venakatesh on Wednesday from a hillock in Devanahalli taluk where he had gone into hiding.