Bengaluru:A trivial request for smokes escalated into homicide on Vasantapura Main Road at about 4 a.m. on 10 May. Software engineers Sanjay H. N. (29) and Chetan (30) were sipping tea beside a pushcart when a white Hyundai Creta halted. The driver—identified as Prateek R. (31), a Rajarajeshwari Nagar sales executive—barked, “Fetch me four or five cigarettes.”
Taken aback, Chetan retorted that Prateek could buy his own. The intoxicated motorist allegedly leapt out, hurled insults, and raised a hand to strike; Sanjay stepped between them, shoving Prateek away. A woman—believed to be Prateek’s wife—pulled him back into the SUV, preventing further scuffle.
Minutes later, as the bikers resumed their ride on a sports motorcycle, the Creta lunged from behind, smashing the bike into a closed medical‑shop shutter. Chetan catapulted onto the SUV’s bonnet; Sanjay slammed the pavement, losing consciousness with severe cranial trauma.
Passers‑by rushed both men to a Jayanagar private hospital; Sanjay was transferred to a JP Nagar facility, where he succumbed on 13 May. Initially booked for attempted murder, Prateek now faces a murder charge after CCTV footage captured the deliberate collision. Deputy Commissioner of Police Lokesh Jagalasar (South Division) confirmed the arrest and stated that the female passenger’s involvement is also under scrutiny.
Prateek claims he and his spouse were driving home from a birthday celebration when the altercation spiralled. Police are piecing together timelines and toxicology reports while urban commuters lament yet another lethal burst of road rage.
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