Two separate murder cases for insurance claims have emerged, with innocent victims losing their lives — one within Varuna Police limits in Mysuru and the other in Gandasi Police limits in Hassan. The Police have made arrests and are currently investigating these elaborate deceptions.

Hotelier arrested for killing employee in August 2023

Mysore/Mysuru: A year after the incident, a case has emerged involving a hotel owner who allegedly murdered his own employee for insurance money. N. Shiva (33), from NES Layout in Malavalli, has been accused of killing his hotel worker. The victim, identified only as Vijay (37), had no other details available.

According to the Police, on Aug. 8, 2023, Shiva murdered Vijay near Datta Farm on the Mysuru-Bannur Road, placed a Hero Maestro scooter near the body to stage it as an accident, and then returned to Malavalli.

Following the Varuna Police’s notification of the accident, Shiva filed a complaint in Mysuru (Varuna) the next day, falsely claiming Vijay as his brother and applying for an insurance claim. It was later discovered that the insurance company had put the claim on hold due to technical issues. Initially, Varuna Police had recorded the incident as an accidental death.

YouTuber’s information

One year after the incident, a letter from Malavalli-based YouTuber M.S. Sureshbabu arrived at the Varuna Police Station. Sub-Inspector V. Chetan reviewed the letter and discovered that Sureshbabu claimed the case registered at Varuna Police Station concerning the death of a man named Vijay in an accident near Datta Farm on Mysuru-Bannur Road on Aug. 8 last year was not accurate.

Sureshbabu alleged that Vijay had been murdered by a man named Shiva from Malavalli out of greed for insurance money and that the murder was staged to look like an accident.

Sureshbabu noted that he had recently learned of these details and broadcast them on YouTube. Subsequently, Abhishek, Shiva’s brother, allegedly threatened him to remove the video from YouTube.

In response to the letter, Sub-Inspector Chetan issued a notice via registered post to Sureshbabu on Aug. 13, instructing him to appear at the Police Station with any available evidence and to cooperate with the investigation. Sureshbabu complied and provided the information to Sub-Inspector Chetan on Aug. 16.

Worker became ‘brother’ for money

Vijay, who was falsely portrayed as having died in an accident, was actually an orphan with no connection to Shiva. Approximately 16 years ago, Vijay was introduced to Shiva’s father, Narasimhiah, by a hotel worker broker named Mahadev at Town Hall in Mysuru. Narasimhiah brought Vijay to Malavalli and employed him in his hotel, and Shiva arranged for Vijay’s Aadhaar card using his own home address.

Shiva, who was operating a hotel in Malavalli, had reportedly accumulated a debt of                           Rs. 28 lakh. Around the same time, Vijay had developed a heavy drinking problem and fearing that Vijay’s poor health might lead to his death soon, Shiva devised a plan.

In 2020, Shiva took out a Rs. 8 lakh ‘Jeevan Anand’ insurance policy in Vijay’s name at the Maddur LIC branch, followed by another ‘Jeevan Anand’ policy in 2021 at the Kollegal branch, paying the premiums himself.

Shiva was informed that if Vijay died in an accident, the insurance payout would double to Rs. 34 lakh. Believing this, Shiva decided to murder Vijay, stage it as an accident, and claim the insurance money. This motive was revealed during Sub-Inspector Chetan’s interrogation of Shiva.

Scooter in Vijay’s name

To stage Vijay’s death as an accident, Shiva devised a detailed plan. He purchased a Maestro scooter (KA-11 IE-4522) in Vijay’s name for Rs. 20,000 from a person named Siddaraju and also obtained a Learner’s License for Vijay.

In the first week of August last year, Shiva brought the scooter to Mysuru, deliberately punctured it near a petrol bunk close to Datta Farm on the Mysuru-Bannur Road, and left it there, asking the petrol bunk staff to keep it while he returned to Malavalli.

On Aug. 8, 2023, Shiva used his friend Siddaraju’s car to take Vijay to the Datta Farm area. During the trip, Shiva continuously offered alcohol to Vijay who was already in an inebriated state.

Around 11.45 pm that night, he stopped the car near Datta Farm. When Vijay got out to urinate, Shiva attacked him with a stone, killing him. After confirming

Vijay’s death, Shiva returned to the petrol bunk, retrieved the scooter he had abandoned, placed Vijay’s body next to it, and left a note with his mobile number in Vijay’s shirt pocket. He then drove back to Malavalli.

Call from Varuna Police Station

In the middle of the night, Varuna Police called Shiva’s mobile phone to inform him about a person’s death in an accident and Shiva’s number was found inside the deceased person’s pocket. The next day, Shiva visited the Police Station and falsely claimed that Vijay was his brother and that his father Narasimhiah had taken care of him for years.

Shiva incorrectly identified himself as Shivkumar, the owner of Shanti Sagar Hotel located in front of the Malavalli KSRTC Bus Stand (which, in reality, does not exist). This discrepancy was uncovered during the investigation.

The case initially registered as an accidental death at Varuna Police Station on Aug. 9, 2023, was reclassified as a murder and evidence destruction case on Aug. 23, 2024. Shiva has been arrested now and the Police are continuing the investigation.