'Drishyam'-style murder: Missing Bengaluru techie found buried inside house in Andhra; cousin, aide held

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A 34-year-old software engineer who had been missing from Attibele in Bengaluru since October 27 was found buried inside a house in Kuppam, in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district.

The body of Shrinath K was exhumed from a residence on the town’s outskirts on November 16. According to a report by The Times of India, police said the victim, an Andhra native, was murdered by his cousin Prabhakar, 39.

Following this, Prabhakar and his associate, 35-year-old Jagadish, also a history-sheeter, have both been arrested.

Shrinath lived with his wife and child in the Smilee Celestial Layout of Neraluru village in Bengaluru. After he went missing, his wife, Neha MP, filed a missing person complaint with the Attibele police on November 1, alleging that Prabhakar may have been involved in her husband’s disappearance.

Money dispute

According to the report, Neha told police that Shrinath had gone to meet Prabhakar in Kuppam on October 27, the day he went missing. Investigators later found that during Shrinath’s housewarming ceremony, Prabhakar had urged him to invest Rs 40 lakh in his business, claiming he could double the amount.

Shrinath borrowed the money and agreed to the investment plan. After Neha filed her complaint, police summoned Prabhakar, who claimed he had not met Shrinath and had no knowledge of his visit to Kuppam. He also said he had been in Bengaluru meeting another relative that day and even produced “evidence” to support his claim. On that basis, police initially ruled out his involvement and let him go.

But Neha continued to insist that Prabhakar had a key role in her husband’s disappearance. She informed police about his money-doubling proposal and said Shrinath had given him around Rs 40 lakh.

Following this, senior police officers directed the Attibele police inspector to launch an investigation, and the missing person case was turned into a case of kidnapping. On November 13, police arrested Prabhakar.

Accused confesses to murder after prolonged interrogation

During questioning, Prabhakar accused Neha of killing Shrinath — the first time a murder angle had surfaced — prompting investigators to suspect foul play. After sustained interrogation, Prabhakar eventually broke down and admitted to murdering Shrinath.

He told police he met Shrinath at a government housing colony in Kuppam, killed him by striking his head with a hammer, and buried the body in one of the vacant buildings with Jagadish’s help.

Prabhakar claimed Shrinath had given him only Rs 10 lakh and that he had already returned Rs 5 lakh. When Shrinath began pressing him to repay the remaining amount, Prabhakar decided to kill him.