In a tragic incident, a software engineer, who was allegedly cheated of Rs 1.25 lakh by a private tutor in Bengaluru, died after accidentally setting himself on fire in JP Nagar.
According to reports, the accused tutor, identified as Aditya Bajaj promised 35-year-old Ritesh Kumar that his 7-year-old son would secure a seat in a prestigious school in Bengaluru, but failed to deliver.
Police suspect that Kumar, a resident of LBS Nagar near HAL and a software engineer with a private firm based in Marathahalli, may have only wanted to threaten Bajaj by dousing himself in petrol, but things spun out of control, the Times of India reported.
While Kumar reportedly just wanted to light the matchstick and didn't want to immolate himself, the police said that his clothes caught fire due to the petrol.
Kumar was rushed to the Victoria Hospital, where he succumbed to burns the next day. Bajaj also suffered burns trying to douse the fire, and is recovering in the same hospital.
"We've registered a case of abetment to suicide and cheating against Bajaj. I've asked JP Nagar police to find out if Aditya has cheated other parents too," deputy commissioner of police (south) SD Sharanappa told ToI.
Mirror reported that Bajaj had asked Rs 6 lakh for the deal, and had taken an advance of Rs 2.5 lakh. While he had reportedly returned Rs 1.25 lakh in August, this year, Bajaj had said that he would return the remaining money later.
Speaking to Mirror, an investigating office said, “Kumar and Bajaj had multiple conversations over the issue. Bajaj kept delaying, claiming he would get a seat for the next academic year. But Kumar didn’t want to trust Bajaj a second time, and wanted his money back...Kumar’s wife Parul, a homemaker, said the deal was fixed for Rs 6 lakh. The couple also has a three-year-old child. The family hails from Patna."
An FIR has been registered at JP Nagar police station under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).