Techie found dead in car

Bangalore, May 23: A software engineer was allegedly found dead in his car, with his face covered in a polythene bag and body wrapped in adhesive tape in the early hours of Tuesday, near his residence at AECS Layout in Mahadevapura police station limits.

Police said the deceased has been identified as Sreerag (25), from Kozhikode in Kerala. Employed with the Hewlett Packard in the City for the last seven months, he was staying with his friend Vivek Bhasi.

Passersby were surprised to find a parked car with its front door ajar. When they checked, they found Sreerag’s body and immediately alerted the police.

Mahadevapura police rushed to the spot and took stock of the crime-scene. Two forensic teams and a dog squad were pressed into service.

The body has been shifted to Bowring Hospital for autopsy.

Police said Sreerag’s parents, who live in Kozhikode, will be reaching the City Wednesday morning. Sreerag had visited his aunt who happens to live in AECS Layout, over dinner the previous night, but never returned home.

Preliminary investigations reveal that Sreerag was in love with a girl, Jennifer, for the last three months. They are yet to question her.

According to Vivek, Sreerag was a humble person and a teetotaller. “It is difficult to believe that a soft-spoken person like him, who stayed away from controversies, could ever be murdered. The only controversial thing about him was his falling in love with Jennifer,” he said.

Though police suspect it to be a case of murder with a love angle, they have not ruled out the suicide angle.

Police found that though Sreerag’s legs were tied together with adhesive tapes and his head covered in a polythene bag, his hands were free. If he was murdered in this fashion, then Sreerag could have freed himself and would not have died of suffocation.

Or, he might have been killed elsewhere and his body was later placed in the car.

Police also found that the interiors of the car were undisturbed, ruling out any scuffle with the assailants.

Some sleeping pills were also found in the car, which has led to the suspicion that he might have committed suicide. Police said they are waiting for the forensic and autopsy reports.