Bengaluru: Man dies 10 days after assault; accused arrested, his parents held for destroying evidence

Bengaluru: The Cottonpet police have arrested a 28-year-old man for murder and his parents for attempting to destroy evidence over a railway housekeeper’s death.

The victim, Vijay alias Kutti, a railway housekeeper, was allegedly attacked with an iron spanner around midnight on September 14 following a dispute near Mini Bhakshi Garden in Cottonpet.

The police said that the incident stemmed from old enmity between the victim’s brother and the main accused, Shiva, 28. Both groups, including Vijay, were allegedly under the influence of alcohol when a quarrel broke out.

When Vijay intervened, the altercation escalated.

Based on a complaint lodged by Vijay’s wife on September 15, the police registered a case. The complaint stated that Shiva assaulted her husband with a deadly weapon with the “intention of killing him”.

Shiva was secured the same day. During interrogation, the police found he had attacked Vijay multiple times on the head with an iron spanner. He was produced before the court on September 16 and remanded to judicial custody.

Twist in the tale 

The probe later revealed that Shiva’s parents, Elumalai and Annapurnamma, took Vijay to a hospital immediately after the attack. They allegedly gave false information, claiming Vijay was drunk and had “fallen on the road”.

“The parents spun a whole different story to save their son from getting caught by the police,” an official said, adding that they gave first aid and left Vijay at his home.

The police alleged this was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence. Vijay’s wife subsequently admitted him as an outpatient to Victoria Hospital. Despite treatment, he succumbed to injuries on September 25.

After receiving the death memo, the police upgraded the case to murder and arrested Elumalai and Annapurnamma on charges of destroying evidence and protecting the main accused. They were produced before the court on September 26 and remanded to judicial custody.