A man was killed in an explosion caused by gas that leaked from an LPG cylinder at his residence in Gangapura in Hoskote taluk early on Saturday.
The explosion took place around 3 a.m. when Chandrappa (42), an agriculturist, switched on the light in the kitchen to cook breakfast, the Nandagudi police said. The blast was so powerful it blew a hole in the kitchen. Chandrappa, who suffered severe burns, died on way to hospital.
The police surmise the gas must have leaked after Chandrappa had finished making dinner the night before. “The casualties could have been higher if his family, who had left for Chandrappa's in-laws' house, had also been at home,” said a police official.
Tractor deaths
Two men died when the tractor they were travelling on overturned near Arehalli in Ramanagaram taluk around noon on Saturday.
Bore Gowda (30) and Lingappa (23) were on their way from Arehalli to Kutkal, where they had been employed as farm labour, when the tractor fell into a ditch and overturned.
The two died on the spot, while the driver, who has not yet been named, was unhurt.
The Ramanagaram Rural police said the driver was speeding and lost control near the ditch.
The police seized the tractor and filed a case against the driver, who is absconding.
Robber gang busted
With the arrest of six people, the city police claim to have busted a gang that threatened and robbed clubs and entertainment establishments in the city.
The arrested men are V. Manukumar (22), Rajendra (23), Girish (24), K.A. Dileep (25), S. Nikhil (19) and Bhanu Prakash (20).
Rods, knives and machetes were seized from their residence in HIG Layout in RMV II Stage.
According to the police, Manukumar was a habitual offender, having gone to jail several times in the past.
Fatal overdose
Afila (33) was found dead at her home in Jnana Jyothinagar, off Ullal Main Road, after she apparently overdosed on sleeping pills on Friday afternoon.
The police said Afila, who also undertook tailoring jobs, had taken the pills the night before when her husband, Sony Thomas, who worked on a casual contract as a technician at a private hospital, was away at a friend's house. Their one-and-a-half year-old son was in the house and neighbours were alerted only in the morning by the cries of the child. However, as the house was locked, the building owner and the police were called in to break open the door.
The couple, who had married around two years ago to the disapproval of their families, had moved here from Kerala a little over a year ago.
The police suspect marital discord and her husband's unemployment as the reason for the extreme step.
The police are awaiting the arrival of Afila's parents from Kerala.
