BENGALURU: A financier was hacked to death by a gang of armed men in public view under the Namma Metro station opposite Banashankari temple gate on Friday noon.
Police said Madan aka Madhu, a resident of Lakkasandra, near Wilson Garden, was driving his car near Banashankari temple when he noticed fresh vegetables on the roadside. He stopped his car, got down and purchased some greens. Madan was about to board his vehicle when six persons attacked him with machetes and other sharp weapons.
The gang hacked Madan to death before speeding away from the spot in three two-wheelers.
Police said that according to eyewitnesses, the incident took place between 11.55am and 12.15pm. Some of the assailants wore helmets, while the others had masks on.
Harish Pandey, deputy commissioner of police (south), said four to six persons accosted Madan when he was about to enter the car.
According to police sources, Madan, 44, was running a finance business in Lakkasandra and Wilson Garden areas. He was reportedly closely acquainted with the suspects in the murder of Vijay Kumar alias Cable Viji alias Lakkasandra Viji, a notorious rowdysheeter.
Viji ran a cable TV business and also allegedly extorted money from local businessmen, including financiers. Suraj C, son of D Chandrappa, the then corporator from Homegowda Nagar ward, was also one of Viji’s victims. So, Suraj and others allegedly hired hitmen, who hacked Viji to death at his cable office in December 2018. Viji’s associates suspected Madan had financially helped Viji’s killers.
Police are also investigating if associates of financier Linga alias Lakkasandra Lingaraj, who was hacked to death at his farmhouse near Hassan in December 2020, are involved in Madan’s killing. “We learnt that aides of Viji and Linga suspected Madan financially helped the killers in both the cases. We are investigating the case from a rivalry angle,” a police officer said. Jayanagar police have taken up a case of murder and efforts are on to trace and nab the assailants.
