Road hump throws rider off bike, blows lid off attempt to cover up gruesome murder

BENGALURU: A killers’ plan to dispose of a body in a lake went awry when their bike fell while negotiating a road hump, injuring the two men carrying the body between them. The drama played out at midnight in Ramanagara. The victim Soumya (22) from Tamil Nadu, was murdered by Durga and her husband Raghu over a financial dispute. The other accused are Durga’s brother Nagaraj, and his friend Vinod. Police arrested the four, while another accused is absconding.

Police said Soumya lived with Durga and Raghu, and worked in wedding halls with Durga. A few days ago, she left the house without informing Durga. There was a dispute over finances, and Durga also suspected Soumya of stealing valuables from the house. She traced Soumya with the help of friends and brought her home on Monday, locked her in a room, hit her repeatedly with a wooden stick and tortured her throughout the night.

“In the morning, Durga found Soumya dead. She and her husband came up with a plan to dispose of the body in a lake in Srirangapatna. When the body started stinking by afternoon, she lit incense sticks, then called her brother Nagaraj and asked him to help them dispose of the body. Nagaraj brought two friends,” police said.

The accused started from Durga’s house in Rajarajeshwari Nagar on Tuesday midnight. They went on three bikes -- Nagaraj and Vinod on one bike, with Soumya’s body between them, Durga and Raghu on another, while another accused, Abhi, rode another bike. Around 1am, they were passing by the DC’s office in Ramanagara when Vinod lost control of the bike and fell.

Vinod and Nagaraj sustained injuries, and the body fell on the road. Other commuters alerted police who rushed to the spot and took them to hospital. Doctors said the dead woman had not suffered injuries in the accident, and had died more than 24 hours earlier. Based on that, the duo was questioned and admitted to the murder. Nagaraj had tipped off Raghu, who had gone ahead, about the accident and arrival of the police. The couple fled to Channapatna to hide in a friend’s house, from where they were arrested. 
Police said Durga had earlier been arrested in a prostitution case.