22-year-old neighbour kills 14-year-old boy to teach his mother ‘a lesson’

Bengaluru, Feb 12: A 14-year-old boy, who had gone missing from Mallathahalli on February 4 after returning from school, was found murdered in a secluded part of Bangalore University’s Jnanabharathi campus on Tuesday night.

Police said he was killed in cold blood by a 22-year-old neighbour who held a grudge against the boy’s mother.

Kiran, a class 8 student, had just alighted from the school bus that afternoon and was walking to his home when Manjunath, a welder who lives next door to him, approached him. He told him his (Kiran’s) brother had met with an accident and his parents had gone to see him. Manjunath also told the boy he was going to visit his brother and asked him if he would like to come along, police said.

Not suspecting anything, Kiran agreed to ride with Manjunath on his bike. The suspect took him to different places, roaming aimlessly. In the evening, he rode to the university, telling Kiran his brother and parents were waiting there. He took him to a secluded place where he mercilessly slit his throat with a blade. When the boy bled to death, Manjunath quietly left the university campus, police added.

Kiran’s parents got worried when he didn’t return even at 9 pm. They looked out for him in all the places. They enquired with the school bus driver who told them he was certain that he had dropped Kiran off near their home. With no sight of Kiran, his parents went to the Chandra Layout police station and lodged a missing person complaint.

Police said they detained Manjunath on suspicion. When grilled, he confessed to the crime, they claimed. “The suspect showed us the spot where he murdered the boy. The body was decomposed partially. The school uniform was still on the body and the school bag was lying nearby,” a senior police officer said. “The foul odour of the body was blanketed by strong stench of a large drain flowing nearby. So, passersby could not notice the body.”

Manjunath had fought with Kiran’s mother recently and held a grudge against her. He had even tried to manhandle her. His grouse: she had told his mother that when nobody was at home, Manjunath would bring a girl from the locality. She also told her about Manjunath’s liaison with some other girls of the

locality. Manjunath’s mother got angry on learning this and demanded an explanation from him. Manjunath told the police he had felt humiliated and vowed revenge.

According to police, Manjunath had even tried to harm Kiran’s family by black magic. Some lemons and dolls were found in front of the house. But to teach Kiran’s mother a “befitting” lesson, he decided to kill him.