Tension prevailed in Vijaya Nagar Main Road when a gang of four men, armed with swords and choppers, barged into a Cafe Coffee Day outlet on Thursday evening and attacked a realtor, killing him on the spot. They also attacked his associate. The two men were sipping coffee when the gang attacked around 7.40 pm even as the staff, patrons and bystanders watched in horror.
The deceased was Mahesh alias Mota, a 30-year-old realtor and resident of Yeshwantpur. His friend and associate Rakshith is battling for his life in a private hospital at Vijaya Nagar.
The outlet is located near Manuvana bus stop opposite Hosahalli metro station.
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According to witness accounts, Mahesh saw the armed men enter the café and tried to flee. “He seemed to have realised that they had come for him, but the gang pinned him down and struck repeatedly,” said a police officer.
Customers flee
The other customers, who witnessed the bloodshed, fled out of the café calling for help. The attackers were inside for 10 minutes after which they left the café without being stopped. A crowed of passers-by and adjacent shopkeepers were mute spectators to the crime.
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The entire incident has been caught on CCTV cameras installed inside the café, said a police source.
Gang rivalry
Investigators suspect that the murder was the result of gang rivalry. Preliminary inquires revealed that the public attack was the fallout of the murder of 28-year-old rowdy sheeter named Harsha who had been hacked to death in Vijaya Nagar on April 27 this year by 10 men. “The assailants are suspected to be Harsha’s associates. The rival gang suspected Mahesh of financing Harsha’s murder,” said the police.
While Harsha was named in six cases, including murder and attempt to murder, Mahesh is also named in several cases.
The Vijaya Nagar police have taken up a case of murder and attempt to murder and are searching for the attackers.