The Chikkaballapura police have registered a case of attempted murder and have arrested a grocery owner Vijay and his cousin John Babu.
Cops take Maresh for spot mahazar (inspection) and secures weapon. Accused and victim from top: Vijay, Maresh, and John Babu. (Supplied)
A gory video of a man slitting the throat of another and attempting to taste his blood while threatening him — which had gone viral — sent chills down the spine of viewers on social media.
It also sent the cops in the Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka into a tizzy as they scrambled to identify the victim whom they believed had been murdered.
However, the police learnt soon that the victim had escaped with a slash injury. They managed to trace him, and took a complaint from him.
The cops subsequently arrested the two accused — one who slit the throat and the other who recorded the video — booked them for an attempt to murder.
The Kencharlahalli police arrested grocery store owner Vijay (30) and his cousin John Babu (21), a BCom student, after Vijay was identified from the video and the cops confirmed that the said video was shot by Babu.
The victim, identified as a mini-goods vehicle owner cum driver named Maresh, was allegedly getting close to Vijay’s wife and this was the reason Vijay decided to eliminate him, he told the police soon after he was arrested.
According to the police, the incident happened on 19 June at the Siddepalli village in the Chintamani taluk of the Chikkaballapura district in Karnataka.
Vijay, a native of Andhra Pradesh, lives in the Mandyampet locality of this village with his wife, and runs a grocery store there, the police said.
Apparently, Vijay had observed his friend Maresh getting closer to his wife earlier as well.
He used to hire Maresh — also a resident of Mandyampet — and his mini goods vehicle to bring merchandise to his store from the market.
Vijay observed that Maresh was getting closer to his wife even as the latter told everyone that they were only friends.
According to the police, Vijay’s wife and Maresh used to have lengthy phone conversations, to which Vijay objected many times.
This escalated to the point where the elders from both Vijay’s and his wife’s families intervened and counselled them to resolve their differences.
However, Maresh stayed in touch with Vijay’s wife, according to their call records, the police said.
On 19 June, Vijay contacted his cousin John Babu and asked him to inform Maresh that he had to come with his goods vehicle to ferry a load of tomatoes from a farm on the outskirts of the village to his shop.
Maresh promptly arrived with his vehicle, and Vijay and his cousin asked him to follow them as they went on a bike.
They went to the outskirts of the village — an isolated spot — somewhere in the Kencharlahalli police limits.
Vijay started questioning Maresh about his affair with his wife. Things devolved into heated arguments, after which Vijay started assaulting Maresh. He rained punches and blows to Maresh’s head.
By then, John Babu had started recording the incident on his mobile phone.
Vijay then pulled out a pocket knife and slit Maresh’s throat, after which he took his blood on his fingers and tasted it while threatening him that he was going to drink his blood. This was recorded in the video.
After attacking Maresh, both Vijay and John Babu left him there and fled the spot.
Maresh, however, sustained only a superficial slash injury.
The cut was not deep enough to cause profuse bleeding, and he started his vehicle and headed towards the Chikkaballapura district hospital.
At the hospital, Maresh told the doctors that he had sustained injuries after falling off a bike.
“He (Maresh) told the doctors that while falling off the bike, his neck came in contact with some tin foil which slashed his throat,” the investigating officer of the cast told South First.
“Thus, the police did not file a medico-legal case (MLC), which is supposed to be sent to the local police station. Maresh was discharged after being treated at the hospital. However, despite all this, Maresh and Vijay spoke to each other, and Vijay continued to warn Maresh to stay away from his wife,” the officer added.
Meanwhile, Vijay’s cousin John Babu, who shot the video, sent it to Vijay’s wife’s sister.
According to the police, Vijay told Babu to record the assault on the phone so that it could become an evidence for showing his wife’s family that she was having an affair with Maresh.
It was after Babu sent the video to Vijay’s wife’s sister that it was forwarded to many others in the family and then went viral throughout Chikkaballapura.
On Saturday, 24th June, the Chikkaballapura district police stumbled on the violent video and started to hunt for the people in it.
They initially picked up Maresh after confirming that he had not been murdered. They then later arrested both Vijay and John Babu on Saturday night.
The duo was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody after being booked for an attempt to murder.
On Sunday, Maresh was taken by the cops for a spot mahazar (inspection) from where they had secured the weapon — a pocket knife. Further investigation and collection was evidence were carried out.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Kushal Chouksey confirmed the attack and the subsequent police action to South First.
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