Two arrested for kidnapping, brutal murder of 13-year-old in Bengaluru; police open fire at the accused in self-defense

Bengaluru: Hulimavu police have arrested two individuals in connection with the horrific kidnapping and murder of 13-year-old boy, identified as Nishcith A, whose charred body was discovered in a deserted area in Kaggalipura late Thursday night.

The accused, identified as Gurumurthy (27) and Gopalakrishna (25), had allegedly demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh from the boy's parents via WhatsApp before brutally slitting his throat, dousing him with petrol, and setting him ablaze.

The tragic incident unfolded on Wednesday night, when Nishcith A, a class eight student, failed to return home from his tuition classes in Arakere. His father lodged a missing person complaint at Hulimavu police station after finding his son's bicycle parked near a park in Arakere and on receiving no information from friends or relatives. A case was registered under Hulimavu.

The situation escalated dramatically on Thursday when the complainant received a WhatsApp message demanding a ransom of Rs 5 lakh for his son's release. The police immediately launched an investigation.

The police swiftly obtained CDR, IPDR, and tower locations of the accused's mobile phone to trace their whereabouts.

Tragically, late Thursday night, police received information about a semi-burnt body of a child, aged approximately 10 to 12 years, found in the dense forest of Bilwaradahalli, bordering Bannerghatta Police Station limits.

Upon visiting the spot, the complainant and his family identified the deceased as Nishcith A. based on his half-burnt clothes and a silver thread on his waist.

The Hulimavu police successfully traced the accused, Gurumurthy (25) and Gopi (27), to the same dense forest area in Bilvaradahalli where the body was found.

During the arrest operation, the accused reportedly attacked PSI Aravind and PI Kumaraswamy B G with knives and daggers near Bilvaradahalli Road, in an attempt to escape. Despite warnings to surrender, the assailants continued their attack. In self-defense, PSI Aravindkumar fired two rounds in the air from his service pistol.

When the accused still refused to surrender and tried to flee, PSI Aravindkumar fired two rounds, hitting Gurumurthy in his left and right leg. Similarly, when Gopalakrishna attacked PI Kumaraswamy B G with a dagger, the inspector fired a bullet into Gopalakrishna's right leg in self-defense.

Both accused were immediately taken into custody and admitted to Jayanagar General Hospital for primary treatment before being transferred to Victoria Hospital for further care. Police Inspector Kumaraswamy B G and PSI Aravind Kumar also received primary treatment at Jayanagar General Hospital for their injuries and were later admitted to Victoria Hospital.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused, who worked as drivers, were acquaintances of Nishcith's father. They allegedly kidnapped the boy with the intention of extorting money after learning about his family's background.

After demanding the ransom, they murdered the boy by slitting his throat and attempted to destroy evidence by burning his body.