B'luru serial killer's brother faced murder charges in 2018; died in prison

Indushekhar is the younger brother of S Ramesh, a key figure named in a 2018 investigation that exposed a chilling murder tied to a major land scam.

BENGALURU: As investigators continue to uncover details surrounding the serial killings that have shaken Bengaluru, fresh links have emerged connecting the prime accused, S Indushekhar, to a troubling family history of high-profile crime.Indushekhar is the younger brother of S Ramesh, a key figure named in a 2018 investigation that exposed a chilling murder tied to a major land scam.However, Ramesh died of illness as an undertrial prisoner in Bengaluru central prison. Currently in police custody, Indushekhar faces charges of killing seven persons, including his wife, over suspected domestic and property issues.What had happened?On Sept 18, 2018, a security guard named Venkataswamy walked into Avalahalli police station in tears, reporting that his 40-year-old wife, Sudharani, had set herself on fire. Just seven hours after he arrived, police registered a murder case following a formal complaint from Sudharani’s father, Muniyappa.

By Sept 25, the investigation had uncovered the conspiracy: Sudharani’s death was directly linked to a multi-crore land scam and the murder of an elderly man.The masterminds behind the plot were realtor S Ramesh and his associates Shankarappa, S Krishnamurthy, and M Keshavamurthy. Ramesh had identified a lucrative plot of land in Belathur valued at around Rs 12 to 15 crore. The land belonged to a man named Nanjappa, whose whereabouts were completely unknown.

To seize the property, the group enlisted a stamp vendor to forge ownership documents. They recruited a 90-year-old man named Venkataramanappa to impersonate Nanjappa at the Banaswadi sub-registrar’s office and executed a fake will in Ramesh’s name.The gang struck a deal with a physician, who agreed to issue a fake death certificate under Nanjappa’s name once presented with a corpse. To secure a body, the conspirators targeted an elderly man named Krishnappa at a bus stop in Kolar.

They lured him to Bengaluru under the pretext of offering him a higher-paying job. On Sept 14, they administered a fatal overdose of medication to him, causing severe gastroenteritis that killed him the following day.

The gang then hired Venkataswamy to take the victim’s ashes to Srirangapatna and perform the final rites for a financial payout. Suspicious of the secret ritual, Sudharani repeatedly questioned her husband until Venkataswamy confessed the entire murder plot to her. Fearing exposure, Venkataswamy informed Ramesh and the gang, leading to Sudharani’s murder.