Pretence of too much concern over the murder of his friend revealed the true colours of a 21-year old agent at RTO office on Ullala Main Road in Bengaluru. Faking innocence and pushing for a speedier probe into the murder, Vishal H P only attracted the suspicion of the investigator. The entire probe, which had been running into dead-ends for about 10 days, finally led to his arrest and that of four of his associates.
It was a case of kidnap and murder of a 19-year-old Sharath Nair, who fell victim to his elder sister’s classmate Vishal and his four associates’ greed to make quick money. The plan to kidnap and extract a ransom of Rs 20 lakh was proposed by 32-year-old cab driver Shanthkumar who was reeling under heavy debts. He was known to Vishal and his three associates -- Vinay Prasad alias Vikki (24), a driver; Karan Pai (22), an employee at a private factory in Bidadi; and Vinod Kumar V (24).
The five young men were in the habit of reading crime stories. It was Shanthkumar who first thought about kidnapping someone from a rich family to come out of the financial problems and shared his idea with Vikki, according to police. On learning about Shanthkumar’s plan, Vishal suggested that Sharath whose father is income tax officer Niranjan Kumar Nair could be their target. Vishal convinced his associates that senior Nair was, known to be a soft-spoken gentleman, would meekly part with the ransom they would demand for Sharath’s safe return.
Police said Vishal decided well in advance that whether they received money or not, Sharath would have to be killed so that no clue would be left. Their next problem was to get Sharath out of town. The opportunity came when Sharath’s parents gifted him a Royal Enfield motorbike. He wanted to show his new possession to his friends. Vishal jumped at it by offering Sharath a chance to ride a Rs 6-lakh Benelli bike. A biking enthusiast, Sharath, fell for it. On September 12, 2017, on the pretext of showing him the Benelli motorcycle, Vishal and his associates allegedly abducted Sharath and took him to Ramohalli in Ramanagara.
However, a few hours after Sharath went missing, his family lodged a complaint with Jnanabharathi police. Vishal and his associates got wind of it. As they panicked, they could not make a ransom call to Sharath’s father. Vishal in the meantime allegedly instructed the others that Sharath had to be killed. Accordingly, the hapless young man was strangled by Vikki while Shantkumar, Karan Pai and Vinod Kumar helped him dispose of his body into a nearby lake, according to police.
With the probe heading nowhere, Vishal on several occasions visited Sharath’s home and even insisted on his parents approaching the police commissioner. He also visited the police station several times seeking a speedy probe. Vishal’s behaviour raised the suspicion of police inspector Veerendra Prasad. Vishal’s activities in the past few weeks came under the scanner. The probe revealed Vishal had used his mother’s SIM card to keep in touch with his associates.
On interrogation, Vishal spilled the beans, police said. He and his associates were then arrested and Sharath’s body was recovered from the lake. The police also found the new Royal Enfield motorcycle parked in a shed belonging to relatives of one of the accused. The motorcycle was returned to Sharath’s family. The five accused are currently in judicial custody facing trial.