Abducted From Near Workplace, Tortured For 2 Hours: Bengaluru Man Murdered For Pursuing Ex-Lover

A 19-year-old delivery agent was allegedly abducted and murdered by a group consisting of five men after his failed relationship with a student. Preetham R, a resident of Prashanth Nagar in Devanahalli town, was employed by an online grocery company located on Sulibele Road.

Authorities have arrested five suspects—Srikanth, Shiva Kumar, Charan, Sanjay, and Kaushik—in connection with his murder. The suspects, aged between 22 and 25, are from Gantiganahalli and nearby areas, as per a TOI report.

Reportedly, Preetham was in a relationship with a 21-year-old woman who was pursuing a bachelor's degree in Ayurveda. The relationship had deteriorated over time, resulting in the young woman distancing herself from Preetham.

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A senior police officer mentioned that Preetham appeared to be unable to accept the end of the relationship and made several attempts to reconnect with the young woman. ''These persistent efforts were perceived as harassment by the woman, who informed her family members about the situation." (sic.)

Among those alerted was Srikanth, the woman's cousin, who, along with his friends, allegedly confronted Preetham about his behaviour. Despite being warned, Preetham is said to have continued his pursuit.

The police stated that at around 10:30 p.m. on May 2, Srikanth and his accomplices forcibly removed Preetham from near his workplace and shoved him into a vehicle. What followed was a terrifying two-hour ordeal, during which the victim was driven to several locations and subjected to assault.

As per reports, the suspects repeatedly hit the victim with fists and feet. When Preetham eventually lost consciousness, the assailants, reportedly realising the severity of their actions, abandoned his body near the government primary school at Neeragantipalya village in Devanahalli.

Preetham's father, Ramachandra H, visited his son's office around 6 a.m. on Saturday after his son, whose shift was supposed to end at 3 a.m., had not returned home. He learnt about the abduction from his son's colleagues. During his search, Ramachandra was informed about an unidentified body found near Neeragantipalya.

"The family had difficulty in identifying Preetham due to the extensive facial injuries," (sic.) a police official said, as quoted by TOI.

Preetham's body was discovered around 7:15 a.m., after which Ramachandra filed a formal complaint.

In his complaint, Ramachandra also alleged that this was not the first violent encounter between his son and the suspects. He claimed that about five days prior to the fatal incident, Srikanth and his associates had physically assaulted Preetham. All five suspects were taken into custody on Sunday evening. Police stated that the suspects were labourers involved in various occupations.

Further investigations are underway.

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