Man hires hitmen to abduct, poison builder-dad in property row

A man hired hitmen to abduct and kill his own father in East Bengaluru police say. The motive? A property dispute triggered by the victim’s alleged extramarital affair.

Panneerselvam, 52, a small-time builder from Sir MV Nagar, was abducted while on his way to a temple around 6.30 am on August 5. A gang had driven up in a Maruti Baleno and bundled him in as soon as he left home.

Ramamurthy Nagar police started the investigation after Panneerselvam’s wife filed a complaint. They soon discovered that there had been an attack on Panneerselvam about five months ago. On March 16, a gang had attacked him on Jayanthi Nagar Main Road in Horamavu, inflicting serious head injuries on him. He, however, survived and filed a police complaint.

Police soon traced the previous attempted murder to Panneerselvam’s son, P Rajesh Kumar, 26. They detained him for questioning, and he spilt the beans.

Here’s how the crime unfolded, according to S D Sharanappa, DCP (East): Rajesh was angry with his father because he was having an affair with a woman and had given her lots of cash, gold jewellery and property. Rajesh assisted his father in the business and wanted to buy a plot of land. When he asked his father for money, he turned him down. Panneerselvam also refused to give him the reins of his business. This is when Rajesh decided to kill him and grab the property.

He hired alleged hitmen — Parthiban, 29, Stany, 25, and Anand, 21, — and a few others. He offered them Rs 10 lakh for killing his father. He paid the gang leader, Parthiban, Rs 3 lakh in March and promised to pay the rest once the “job” was done.

When the March 15 attack failed, the gang decided to abduct Panneerselvam and poison him to death. Accordingly, on July 29, Parthiban rented a car, and on August 6, the gang met Rajesh near a tea stall. He told them about his father’s plan to visit a temple that morning.

The gang abducted Panneerselvam and gave him poison by injection in the car. The poison was bought in Tamil Nadu and dissolved in water before being given to Panneerselvam. The gang brutally assaulted Panneerselvam for two hours before driving to Vemgal, Kolar, where they disposed of his body.

Police have arrested Rajesh and three alleged hitmen. They are also looking out for other suspects, Sharanappa said.