Mysuru: A 65-year-old man was bludgeoned to death by another man for refusing to give him a beedi. The incident took place on the footpath in front of Green Point shop, opposite Brahmasthana Choultry in Gangothri Layout here last night.

While the deceased is Janardhan Naidu, who used to wander here and there in the area and sleep on the footpath, the killer is Umesh, a resident of Belur in Hassan district who had come to the city in search of a job.

Yesterday about 11 pm, Naidu was sleeping on the footpath when Umesh approached him for a beedi. An angry Naidu curtly replied that he does not have a beedi. He scolded Umesh and asked him to leave the place.

Umesh, who left the spot, returned to the place after some time and saw Naidu sleeping. In a fit of rage for refusing him a beedi, Umesh dropped a big stone on Naidu’s head and killed him.

Meanwhile, Saraswathipuram Police Constables Nagaraju and Mahesh, who were on their night beat, saw Umesh moving around in a suspicious manner. When they questioned him, Umesh reportedly told them that he had come to the city in search of a job and was going home. But the alert Policemen, who saw blood stains on his clothes, brought him to the Police Station.

During interrogation, Umesh told the Police that he had killed Naidu in front of Green Point shop for not giving him a beedi. Umesh claimed that Naidu assaulted him. Following the interrogation, Inspector S.D. Suresh Kumar, SI Anil Kumar and staff rushed to the spot and found Naidu’s body in a pool of blood.

They conducted mahazar and shifted the body to MMC&RI mortuary for post-mortem and have booked a murder case.