Dancer from Hassan stabbed to death by gang of four

A robbery bid ended in the murder of a 30-year-old dance master in the RMC Layout on Saturday night.

The deceased, Prem Goutham, was a native of Hassan. He worked as a dance master in a private school, besides serving as a civil contractor in the Hassan Municipal Council, the police said.

According to the police, he was invited to the city by his film director friend Shivakumar to act in a short film that he was directing. As planned, Goutham reached the city late in the night and was walking towards the Bhumika theatre in Goraguntepalya, the police said.

A gang of four men attempted to rob him of his valuables. He resisted the attempt and in the ensuing scuffle, they stabbed his thigh thrice and fled.

He collapsed on the pavement and called Shivakumar on his mobile phone, but it was switched off. Due to heavy bleeding, he fell unconscious, the police said.

A passerby noticed a bleeding Goutham and alerted the RMC Yard police, who shifted him to the Victoria Hospital. But doctors declared him brought dead. Based on his identity card, the police informed his family members.

The police have formed a team to nab the suspects and collected CCTV footage from the surrounding areas, the police said.

Goutham had married three years ago and has a two-year-old daughter.