Co-op bank manager 'killed' by man whom he lent Rs 1.05 crore

Bengaluru, Aug 31: A 55-year-old manager of a co-operative bank, believed to have committed suicide on August 16, was actually strangled bya real estate agent who had borrowed Rs 1.05 crore from him. The suspectroped in three of his associates to make the murder look like a suicide, police said.

Muniyappa, of Matadahalli in RT Nagar, was found dead in his carnear Malagala underpass, West Bengaluru. Apoison bottle was found next to his body and the death hadall the trappings ofa suicide. His wife, however, suspected foul play and filed a complaint of murderat the jurisdictional Kamakshipalya police station.

The first clue in the murder investigation came when police learnt thatMuniyappa dealt in arbitrage loans— borrowing money at low interest and lending it at a higher rate. The second clue was that Muniyappa had loanedRs 1.05 crore to Tilak Bandi Kempegowda (36), a real estate agent, loan mediator and broker from Sunkadakatte, since 2014. Police also learnt that Kempegowda had neitherrepaid the principal nor the interest.

Muniyappa was under pressure as he had to pay Rs 22 lakh as interest every month to his lenders. Fifteen days before the murder, hequarrelled with Kempegowda and demanded that he repay the money. He eventhreatened to commit suicide if Kempegowda failed to repay.

Hatched a plot

Kempegowda allegedly hatched a plot to murder Muniyappa and pass it off as a suicide. He roped in three people — Pradeep alias Bully (25), Mahesh alias Appi (24), whoboth work at his poultry farm near Hindalgere, and Abhilash Gowda (25), an auto-rickshaw driver from Hegganahalli.

Kempegowda and Pradeep bought an insecticide named Action 505. OnAugust 15, Kempegowda called Muniyappa to Mariyappanapalya, saying he wanted to repay part of the loan. Muniyappa drove there. Pradeep got in his car and asked him to drive to Kempegowda’s guest house in Byatarayanadoddi.

Meanwhile, Mahesh and Abhilash bought syringes, gloves and socks, andreached the guest house. Once Muniyappa arrived there, they all tied him up and poured the insecticide down his throat. Muniyappa, however, spat it out. Pradeep then strangled him with a rope. The trio stuffed the body in Muniyappa’scar and drove to Malagala where they abandoned the vehicle and fled.

Their scheme was, however, undone by the post-mortem reportwhichconcluded thatMuniyappa had asphyxiated to death. Police reviewed a staggering 600 GB of CCTV footage to nailthe suspects.