Mysuru: The Mysuru Rural Police are seeking the relatives of Vijay, who was employed at a hotel in Malavalli and was allegedly murdered last year by the hotel owner Shiva, in an attempt to claim insurance money.

In a press release, the Mysuru Rural Inspector stated that Vijay’s relatives will be crucial to the murder investigation and urged the public to contact 0821-25202601 if they have any information regarding his family. The Inspector also called on Vijay’s relatives to come forward and assist in identifying themselves to aid the investigation. According to the Police, on Aug. 8, 2023, Shiva murdered Vijay near Datta Farm on the Mysuru-Bannur Road, staging the scene to look like a scooter accident.

The next day, Shiva falsely claimed Vijay as his brother and filed for an insurance claim. However, the claim was delayed due to technical issues and the Varuna Police initially registered it as an                                 accidental death.

A year later, YouTuber M.S. Sureshbabu revealed the case was a murder, accusing Shiva of killing Vijay for insurance money. Shiva had taken out two insurance policies on Vijay, an orphan he employed in his family’s hotel, hoping to collect Rs. 34 lakh by staging Vijay’s death as an accident. Fearing Vijay’s poor health, Shiva devised a plan to murder him and collect the payout.

Shiva lured Vijay to the crime scene, intoxicated him and allegedly killed him with a stone. He then placed Vijay’s body near a scooter to simulate an accident, left a note in Vijay’s pocket and fled to Malavalli, Police said.

Shiva had meticulously staged the crime by purchasing a Hero Maestro scooter (KA-11-EE-4522) in Vijay’s name, puncturing the vehicle near the crime scene and planting it alongside Vijay’s body after the murder to make the incident appear like an accidental death.