Man robbed, murdered in 5-star hotel

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, MAY 8. Two persons were drugged and robbed of Rs. 4 lakhs in a five-star hotel here. One of them, Mr. Acharya (50), employee of a travel agency, was found dead in room no. 523 of Hotel Ashok, while his friend, Mr. Narasimhan, was discovered drugged and unconscious in the room by police this morning.

Police broke open the fifth floor room to find Mr. Acharya's tied-up and gagged body in the bath-tub. Mr. Narasimhan was seated on a chair, unconscious, with his arms tied and mouth covered with plaster. Initial attempts to get him to speak were unsuccessful. He was then shifted to Victoria Hospital. Police said Mr. Acharya had taken voluntary retirement from Syndicate Bank before joining the travel agency. Mr. Acharya was a resident of BTM Layout.

The drama began on Monday afternoon when the Ulsoor-based agency, Trade Wings, which also deals in foreign exchange, received a call from a person who identified himself as Mr. Sen. He wanted Rs. 4 lakhs in Indian currency in exchange for U.S. dollars brought to Hotel Ashok where he said he was staying. Mr. Acharya, an assistant at the agency, left soon afterwards in a car with the cash, his friend, Mr. Narasimhan, in tow.

When the two did not return after several hours, agency officials lodged a complaint with the Ulsoor police stating that he was missing. Mr. Narasimhan's relatives in Malleswaram filed a similar complaint with the Sadashivanagar police. Preliminary inquiries by the police failed to trace the duo's whereabouts on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), Mr. Gopal Hosur, directed his staff to search all unoccupied rooms in Hotel Ashok. The police noticed a ``Do Not Disturb'' sign outside room no. 523. They became suspicious on finding the door locked, with no response from inside, and got the hotel management to open it.

Police found a bag with Rs. 15,000 in the room. But, the bag with the Rs. 4 lakhs was missing. Half-empty fruit juice bottles and plantain peels were on a table and the television set was switched on.

The City Police Commissioner, Mr. T. Madiyal, and fingerprint experts visited the scene of the crime. Police dogs were also brought to the room. Forensic experts at the scene said the assailants might have spared Mr. Narasimhan's life presuming that he was in a coma.

The High Grounds police have registered a case of murder and cheating. A manhunt has been launched to nab the culprits. It is learnt that the caller who identified himself as Mr. Sen had taken a room in the same hotel earlier, on which occasion he was accompanied by a woman.

Mr. Hosur said the police were working on several leads.

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