Woman lures man to rented house for a 'surprise', ties, blindfolds and sets him ablaze in Bengaluru

A 27-year-old employee of a mobile network firm was allegedly burnt to death by his colleague at a rented house in Bengaluru's Byadarahalli on Tuesday afternoon.

The deceased has been identified as Kiran. The accused, Prema R, has been detained by the Byadarahalli police.

Both are natives of Tumakuru and worked at an establishment near Bhashyam Circle in Basaveshwaranagar.

According to police, the incident took place around 2 pm at Prema’s rented accommodation in Anjana Nagar on Magadi Road.

During spot inspection, officers found a cloth tied around Kiran’s eyes, raising suspicion of foul play.

Fire and Emergency Services personnel said they received a distress call at 2.15 pm and rushed to the spot to douse the flames.

Initially, Prema told police that she was in the washroom when the incident occurred, attempting to portray it as a case of suicide.

The accused Prema

During interrogation, however, Prema allegedly confessed to the crime. Police said she was upset that Kiran had been distancing himself in recent days and suspected he was avoiding her.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Kiran had visited Prema at her residence around 1.30 pm on Tuesday. Prema allegedly asked him to undress, claiming she had a “surprise” for him.

She then allegedly tied his hands with nylon rope and blindfolded him with a shawl before dousing him with a mixture of petrol and kerosene and setting him on fire. Kiran died on the spot.

Neighbours noticed smoke billowing from the house and initially suspected an LPG cylinder blast. They rushed to the second floor and knocked on the door.

Prema opened the door wrapped in a bedsheet and appeared disoriented. Police said her hair was partially burnt and she had sustained minor burn injuries.

Prema was living with her mother, Shanthamma, and elder brother, Girish, a driver by profession. Her father, Ramachandrappa, worked in the police department. Her sister stayed nearby. Her family members were away at the time of the incident.

She had rented the second floor of the building, while the house owner, Chetan Kumar, resided on the ground floor.

A case of murder has been registered and further investigation is under way.

It is said that she filmed the incident on her phone.

However, police have not confirmed this.