Unable to admit son to a prestigious school, 35-yr-old techie sets himself ablaze

Bengaluru, Dec 6: A 35-year-old software engineer, who set himself ablaze in the course of an argument with the owner of a tutorial institute, has died of burn injuries.

Ritesh Kumar, a resident of Lal Bhadur Shastri Nagar in HAL, doused himself with petrol and struck a match. The flames engulfed him. He worked for a company in Marathahalli, and lived with his wife Parul, son Dharsh and daughter Vidhi.

He had handed Rs. 2.5 lakh to Aditya Bajaj, owner of Aditya Tutorials in JP Nagar, seeking admission for his son at a school. Bajaj neither provided the child a seat nor returned the money. Frustrated, Ritesh carried a bottle of petrol to Aditya Tutorials on November 30. He died in hospital next day.

Bajaj, 35, who suffered burns trying to save the engineer, is recovering in the same hospital. "We've registered a case of abetment to suicide and cheating against Bajaj," deputy commissioner of police (south) SD Sharanappa said. "I've asked JP Nagar police to find out if Aditya has cheated other parents too."

Police said the boy's parents were keen on admitting him into a prestigious school. Earlier this year, they contacted Bajaj, who runs Aditya Tutorials in JP Nagar. He promised them a seat. Kumar paid Bajaj Rs 2.5 lakh, but he reneged on his promise. The boy is now in Class I at a school near the family's residence.

Police said Kumar began pressuring Bajaj to return his money. Bajaj returned Rs 1.25 lakh and sought time to return the rest. But Parul said in her complaint: "Aditya Bajaj told us he won't return our money even if we died before him. My husband called me at 8.10pm on November 30 and said he is going to meet Aditya. I was informed about his suicide attempt at 11pm. He died the next day."

Police said Kumar was earning Rs 15 lakh per annum. "We are investigating whether he was trying to only threaten Aditya," police said.