Bengaluru, Aug 12 (DHNS): To own an expensive bike, a man with criminal antecedents murdered a techie by forcing him to consume cyanide at his posh flat near ITPL recently.

According to the police, Sohan Haldar, 35, an employee of an IT firm in ITPL, had advertised on the Facebook page ‘Second to None’ that he was selling his KTM Duke bike. A KTM bike costs anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs. 2.20 lakh. On seeing the advertisement, Karthik M Daulat, 30, called Haldar to negotiate a deal. Subsequently, the two met a few times over lunch.

On August 2, Karthik went to Haldar’s flat at Prestige Shantiniketan apartment near ITPL and stayed with him. The two had liquor and hit the sack late in the night.

The next morning, Karthik forcibly made Haldar consume Silver Potassium Cyanide (SPC). Suspecting that Haldar may still survive, Karthik smothered him with a towel and made away with his KTM Duke bike, credit card, wallet and a mobile phone. Karthik withdrew Rs 27,000 using Haldar’s credit card, said the police.

However, Karthik ran out of luck as the Kadugodi police arrested him on Wednesday after a thorough probe. The police verified the footage from CCTV camera at the gate of the apartment and also the call record details of Haldar’s mobile phone.

“We found Karthik’s number in the call list and verified the details. The CCTV footage also showed Karthik entering the apartment. His Facebook account was also examined and it seemed that he had a role in the murder. On August 10 night, Karthik was found roaming in Rajajinagar, trying to sell the expensive bike. The police picked him for questioning and he confessed to the crime. He claims to have completed his BE,” said DCP (Southeast) Dr Boralingaiah.

On August 5, Haldar’s friends and colleagues came to his flat as he had not attended work for two days. They opened his bedroom door and found him lying dead on the floor. They immediately informed the Kadugodi police. Haldar, a native of New Alipore in West Bengal, had come to Bengaluru a few months ago.

The police said Karthik, son of a retired private bank employee, is a resident of Rajajinagar 3rd Block. There are cases against him at Rajajinagar and Malleswaram police stations. Two years ago, Karthik attempted to rob a private bank in Rajajinagar by drilling a hole in the wall.

He is also a suspect in the Lakshmi Jewellers theft case in Malleswaram, from where he made away with a few gold chains. Karthik used to commit crimes to make a quick buck to lead a lavish life, said a police officer.

A rare case

Karthik had bought Cyanide by paying Rs 2,700. It is being investigated from where he sourced the dangerous chemical. It is a rare case where in some one has been murdered using Cyanide, the police said.