According to the report, the police said that Shashank was kidnapped by the gang while he was on his way to college on Saturday morning. They forced him into a car and took him to an isolated area near Kuniminike off Mysuru Road
A 19-year-old Engineering student in Bengaluru was reportedly abducted and set on fire by a group of eight men, including a relative, due to a love affair. The incident occurred on Saturday, July 15, within the jurisdiction of Kumbalgodu police station. The victim, identified as Shashank and a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar, is currently in critical condition at a hospital, reports The New India Express.
According to the report, the police said that Shashank was kidnapped by the gang while he was on his way to college on Saturday morning. They forced him into a car and took him to an isolated area near Kuniminike off Mysuru Road. The assailants blindfolded Shashank, tied his hands and gagged him before dousing him in petrol. Then they set him on fire and fled the scene.
Despite being engulfed in flames, Shashank managed to extinguish the fire by rolling on the ground. He also contacted his parents and informed them about the incident, providing them with his location. His parents rushed to the scene and brought him to the police station.
“The perpetrators are on the run and we are gathering information about their whereabouts. They will be nabbed soon,” the police informed The New Indian Express.
Shashank's father, Ranganath, accused his relative Mahesh, also known as Manu, of planning the attack.
He explained, “My son and Manu’s niece were in a relationship. We had asked Shashank not to continue it and advised the girl, who lives in Mysuru, to concentrate on her education. But on Tuesday, she came to Bengaluru to meet my son who brought her home. When we asked why she had come, she told us that her father had threatened to kill her. While she was at our home, her family members came and created a ruckus. They assaulted my son and took her away.”
In response to the incident, Ranganath was escorting Shashank to college.
“On Saturday morning too, I dropped him. As the classes concluded early, he was waiting at a bus stop to catch a bus to return home when he was kidnapped by Manu and seven others,” Ranganath alleged.