A Bengaluru court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of a key suspect in the alleged contract killing of 35-year-old gym trainer Vijay Kumar, citing the "gravity of the offence". Joseph N, 39, is alleged to be one of five people present at an Anekal drinking party on June 6, where Kumar was murdered over an alleged relationship with a real estate businessman's daughter. Joseph, who has been missing since the incident, allegedly received a portion of the Rs 25 lakh contract money. The trainer's decomposed body was recovered on June 9 from the Bannerghatta forest area, where the killers dumped it. The police alleged that realtor Prasad Rao hired local gangster Srirama through an Anekal-based advocate, B Lokesh, to execute the murder. Both Rao and Lokesh are named as co-accused and remain missing. The district court previously rejected their anticipatory bail applications on July 22, before denying Joseph's plea on July 31. Custodial interrogation necessary, argues prosecution Opposing Joseph’s plea, the prosecution argued that circumstantial evidence and statements from arrested gang leader Srirama placed him at the scene. It said that custodial interrogation is necessary to recover the victim's phone, trace Joseph's handset, and confiscate the cash he received. While Joseph's counsel claimed he was implicated without material evidence, the court ruled that the non-bailable nature of the charges and potential penalties of life imprisonment or death justified denying relief. Meanwhile, advocate Lokesh has approached the Karnataka High Court for anticipatory bail, with the court issuing a notice to the state returnable by August 12. Lokesh previously sought to have his name removed from the FIR, but the High Court disposed of the plea on July 9 after prosecutors presented evidence detailing his role in transferring funds from the realtor to the executioners. The Bannerghatta police on June 17 arrested five suspects: Srirama, Sumith, Venkateshaiah, Babu, and Vikas Kumar. Investigators revealed that Sumith joined the victim's gym to build rapport and lure him into the trap. On June 29, the investigation was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) following social media allegations by a woman claiming to be the realtor's wife, who accused local police of framing her husband. The Bengaluru Rural police dismissed the claims as baseless attempts to obstruct the investigation.
