Bengaluru: Three suspects have been apprehended by the police in connection with a gruesome double murder that took place in northeastern Bengaluru. However, the alleged mastermind, the owner of a broadband company, remains at large.
The arrested individuals are identified as Shabarish alias ‘Joker’ Felix (27), Santosh alias Santu (26), and Vinay Reddy (23). They were taken into custody from SKN Lodge in Kunigal, Tumakuru district, just seven hours after the murders occurred. Felix, known as a Kannada rapper and fashion model with a substantial Instagram following of over 16,000, posted a media report of the murders on his Instagram account shortly before the arrest.
The victims of the double murder were Phanindra Subramanya (36), the Managing Director of Aironics Media Pvt Ltd, a fibrenet company, and Vinu Kumar (47), its CEO. The incident took place at the company’s office in Pampa Extension, Hebbal-Kempapura, around 3:30 pm on Tuesday. Authorities believe that business rivalry serves as the most likely motive behind the crimes.
Subramanya and Kumar had previously worked for Gnet Broadband on Bannerghatta Road. Last November, they founded their own company, Aironics Media Pvt Ltd, hiring most of Gnet’s staff and offering competitive broadband plans. Within a short period, Aironics managed to attract a significant number of Gnet’s customers, which apparently raised concerns for Gnet Broadband’s owner, Arun Kumar Azad. According to police, a Gnet official had engaged in altercations with Subramanya and repeatedly threatened him with harm.
An Aironics employee, who witnessed the incident, revealed that Azad had expressed his intention to fatally harm Subramanya due to the growth of his company and the employees’ willingness to join Aironics. Azad allegedly made menacing statements, vowing to harm Subramanya extensively. Azad has been named as the fourth suspect in the FIR and is currently on the run.
Felix and Santosh were both employees of Gnet, while Reddy is a friend of Felix. Following the murders, the trio abandoned their motorcycles near the Aironics office and fled on foot. They later fled to Majestic in a car and eventually boarded a train to Kunigal, where they checked into a lodge. The police utilized CCTV footage and mobile phone network data to track them down.