Siddarth Sethia
A 30-year-old man was burnt alive after a car exploded and caught fire near Jogihalli in Sira taluk of Tumakuru district on Friday.
Two others,including a woman and the driver of the vehicle, sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment.
The deceased has been identified as Nagendra,a native of Ankola who was residing in Bengaluru.
The injured have been identified as Ramya and Praveen, the driver of the cab.Both were shifted to the Tumakuru District Hospital.
According to the police,the trio was travelling from Bengaluru towards Ankola in a yellow-board cab when the vehicle exploded on National Highway-48.
Preliminary investigations suggest that explosive material was present inside the car.The blast triggered a major fire, leading to a traffic jam of more than a kilometre on the highway.
Investigators said Nagendra and Ramya were reportedly in a relationship and had been facing personal disputes for several days.
Ramya,an OT technician at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Bengaluru, had allegedly blocked Nagendra’s phone number following differences between them.
Police said Nagendra allegedly went to Ramya’s rented accommodation in Jayanagar on Friday morning,picked up a quarrel with her,and forcibly took her in the cab towards Ankola.
Based on a complaint from Ramya’s parents,the Jayanagar Police had registered a kidnapping case after they alleged that she had been abducted.
During the journey,Nagendra allegedly threatened Ramya,saying he would kill her and then die himself.He also reportedly showed her a petrol bomb and continued threatening her.
Near Jogihalli in Sira taluk,Nagendra allegedly attacked Ramya with a knife inside the moving vehicle.The driver immediately stopped the cab,allowing Ramya to unlock the door and jump out to safety. Moments later the car exploded and caught fire,killing Nagendra on the spot.
Police have reportedly recovered bomb-like explosive material from the burnt vehicle and are conducting a detailed investigation to ascertain the nature of the explosives and the exact cause of the blast.
The Kallambella Police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.
