Suraj Singh spent a month and a half stalking Ayyappa R. Dore, the former Vice-Chancellor of Alliance University, whom he allegedly murdered on Tuesday night. Madhukar Angur, co-founder of the university, was next on his list. Suraj had checked into a hotel early on Wednesday to plan the murder when he was arrested.
According to the police, the 27-year-old business management graduate, who was arrested in less than 24 hours after the deed came to light, confessed that he committed the crime at the behest of Sudhir Angur, Madhukar’s brother and co-founder of Alliance University. Sudhir had hired him as an officer in Alliance’s administrative section a few months ago. “Sudhir offered ₹1 crore to Suraj. He also offered ₹20 lakh to each of Suraj’s four associates who helped him murder Ayyappa,” said City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao at a press meet on Thursday.
The accused had stalked both Ayyappa and Madhukar for the past month and a half to monitor their movements. They zeroed in on Ayyappa after realising that he went for a walk almost every night after dinner. On Tuesday night, Suraj and his four associates waited in two bikes near Ayyappa’s house in R.T. Nagar till 10.30 p.m. When the former Vice-Chancellor failed to turn up, they almost called it a day and decided to return home. However, just as they were getting ready to leave, they saw Ayyappa coming out of his house. That day, he had gone to pick up his wife from a relative’s house and returned home only late in the evening.
The accused followed him for a few yards and confronted him near HMT Ground, which was isolated. They then allegedly attacked him with weapons and sped away.
After committing the murder, Suraj parted ways with his friends and rode to Sudhir’s house in BTM Layout. According to the police, the two men celebrated all night and Suraj left his employer’s house only by 4 a.m.
Sudhir allegedly gave him ₹25,000 and instructed him to execute his brother, Madhukar. Suraj left the house and checked into a hotel to plan the murder. “By then, the police tracked him to the hotel and arrested him,” said an inspector who was part of the team. Mobile phones and frequent calls were what had given the game away. The police, who suspected Sudhir, gathered clues from call record details and CCTV footage. “ Ayyappa’s wife told us about the recent fight between Sudhir and her husband over a ₹12-crore fund belonging to the college. We verified the details with the college staff,” said a senior police officer.
When they analysed Sudhir’s call record details, they found that he had received a call from R.T. Nagar around the time Ayyappa was murdered. After the police tracked Suraj down and got him to confess, they arrested Sudhir from his house. Suraj is said to have told the police that Sudhir had paid him ₹1.5 lakh over the past four months and had even promised to get him out of prison if he were to be arrested.
The city police have taken Sudhir and Suraj into custody for further investigation. The police are now on the hunt for the four associates of Suraj, who are on the run. The accused are all residents of Hebbal and J.C. Nagar and worked as mechanics and drivers, said the police.
Lauding the quick action of the police team, Mr. Rao announced a cash reward of ₹1 lakh for the team.
Additional security cover for Madhukar
In light of their investigations, the police have provided extra security for Madhukar Angur, who condemned his brother for killing his friend and plotting his murder. “I met Ayyappa last Tuesday and told him that I felt I was being followed constantly. He, too, felt that he was being watched. We told each other to be careful,” said Madhukar, who expressed his gratitude to the city police for their quick action. “I am thankful for the city police, who not only solved the case but also saved my life.”
Advocate’s role being probed
Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said the police are investigating the role of a well-known city advocate in the case. Suraj has allegedly told the police that Sudhir was taking the advice of an advocate to execute the murders. The police are verifying these claims.
