Hassan: ‘Had no money to pay for iPhone’, says accused arrested in delivery boy’s murder

Team Udayavani, Feb 20, 2023, 8:39 AM IST

Arasikere: Police have solved the case of the burnt body of a delivery executive found near Anchekoppalu railway bridge in the city on February 11 and arrested a 20-year-old man for the murder.

The accused has been identified as Hemant Datta (20).

The victim. Hemanth Nayka (23) of Hale Kallanayakanahalli village of Araseikere taluk, was employed as a delivery boy at e-Kart Express. He had been to Datta’s house to deliver a secondhand iPhone booked on Flipkart.

Police said Datta killed the delivery agent as he did not have money to pay for the Rs 46,000 iPhone. As Hemant Naika refused to open the package without full payment, Datta stabbed him to death with a knife, police added.

Thereafter, Datta hid the dead body at his home for 4 days. On February 11, he carried the body stuffed in a gunny bag on a motorcycle to the Anchekoppalu railway bridge and set it on fire using petrol and kerosene.

Earlier, Manja Naika, the brother of the victim, had lodged a police complaint at the Arasikere City police station on February 8 after his brother failed to return home.

District Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar said that when the accused Hemant Datta confessed to having killed Hemant Naika during interrogation after his arrest.