Bengaluru: A 13-year-old boy who went missing in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening was found dead the next day, his burnt body discovered in a deserted area near Kaggalipura Road. The child, identified as Nishchith A, was a Class 8 student at Christ School.
According to police, Nishchith had left his home on Arekere 80 Feet Road around 5 PM to attend a tuition class but never returned. When he didn’t come back by 7:30 PM, his parents contacted the tuition teacher, who confirmed that the boy had left at the scheduled time. While searching for him, the family found Nishchith’s bicycle near Arekere Family Park. Shortly after, they received a phone call from an unknown number demanding ₹5 lakh for the boy’s safe return.
Following the ransom call, a kidnapping case was filed at the Hulimavu Police Station, and teams were deployed to trace the location of the caller. The next day, police recovered Nishchith’s charred body during a search operation.
Late Thursday night, two suspects—Gurumurthy and Gopal Krishna—were intercepted by the police near Kaggalipura Road. During the attempted arrest, both allegedly tried to attack the officers, leading to a shootout. Gurumurthy was shot in both legs, while Gopal Krishna suffered a bullet injury in one leg. Police fired six rounds in self-defence.
Investigations revealed that Gurumurthy, a former spare driver at the victim’s house, knew the family well and is believed to have masterminded the kidnapping. Police are continuing their investigation to determine the motive and whether more individuals were involved in the crime.