Cousin lured Bengaluru techie with money-doubling plan, then killed him with a hammer; body found buried 100 km away

A software engineer who vanished from Attibele on October 27 was found murdered in a house on the outskirts of Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, with police arresting his cousin and another man after weeks of contradictory clues and a determined family complaint, a TOI report stated.

Police said the victim, Shrinath K, 34, a software engineer from Andhra Pradesh who lived with his wife and child at Smilee Celestial Layout in Neraluru, had gone missing after he left to meet his cousin Prabhakar, 39, in Kuppam.
His wife Neha MP filed a missing person complaint on November 1 at Attibele police station and told officers she strongly suspected Prabhakar. She informed police that Shrinath went to meet him on October 27 and never returned.


The body was finally exhumed on November 16 from an unoccupied house in a government housing colony on Kuppam’s outskirts.

A money offer that triggered suspicion

Investigators later found that during Shrinath’s housewarming ceremony, Prabhakar had suggested an investment deal, asking Shrinath to put Rs 40 lakh into his business with a promise to double the amount. Shrinath had borrowed the money and handed it over.

Despite Neha repeatedly alerting police about this money angle, the initial inquiry hit a wall.

Police question Prabhakar, and let him go

Acting on Neha’s complaint, police summoned Prabhakar.

He told them he never met Shrinath on October 27, claimed he was in Bengaluru meeting another relative, and even produced what officers described as “evidence”. He was allowed to go, and police briefly ruled out his role.

But Neha continued insisting that Prabhakar “must have had a major role” in Shrinath’s disappearance and urged officers to look deeper into the financial dispute.

Following this, senior officers directed Attibele police to treat the case as kidnapping, leading to Prabhakar’s arrest on November 13.

Once in custody, Prabhakar tried to divert the case by accusing Neha of murdering her husband.
Police said this sudden twist convinced them that “foul play was certain”, as no one had suggested murder until then.

During sustained questioning, Prabhakar confessed.

He told police he met Shrinath at a government housing colony in Kuppam, killed him by smashing his head with a hammer, and with the help of his associate Jagadish, 35, buried the body in an unoccupied building.

Both Prabhakar and Jagadish, residents of Kuppam and known history-sheeters, have now been arrested.

The money trail behind the murder

Prabhakar told investigators that Shrinath actually gave him Rs 10 lakh, not Rs 40 lakh. He said he returned Rs 5 lakh but Shrinath kept asking for the remaining amount. “That’s when he decided to murder him,” police said.