Bengaluru, May 18: A shocking act of road rage turned fatal in Bengaluru after a software engineer was allegedly killed by a man who rammed his car into the techie’s motorcycle for refusing to buy him a cigarette.
The victim, 29-year-old HN Sanjay, a resident of Vajarahalli, was killed near Vasanthapura Cross on Kanakapura Road. The accused, identified as 31-year-old Prateek, a manager at a private firm and resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar, has been arrested by the Subramanyapura police.
According to police, the incident occurred in the early hours of May 10 when Sanjay and his colleague, Chetan Pujamath, had stepped out for a break. Prateek, allegedly intoxicated and returning from a party with his wife, stopped his car near them and asked Sanjay to get him a cigarette from a roadside stall.
Sanjay refused and confronted Prateek for his entitled behavior, leading to a verbal spat. Locals intervened and calmed the situation, but moments later, as Sanjay and Chetan resumed their ride back to work on a motorcycle, Prateek reportedly followed them and rammed his car into the two-wheeler from behind.
Sanjay sustained a grievous head injury after falling on the pavement and died at the hospital on Tuesday. Chetan, who was riding pillion, also suffered serious injuries and is currently under treatment.
CCTV footage of the incident has been recovered, and a case of murder has been registered. Police say Prateek was under the influence of alcohol at the time and further investigation is underway.