Techie found dead in Whitefield flat was killed for bike

The mysterious death of 35-year-old techie Sohan Haldar at his flat in Prestige Shantiniketan has turned out to be a murder. Haldar, a native of West Bengal, was residing at a 4-BHK flat in Prestige Shantiketan apartments in Whitefield, on sharing basis. Three other techies from Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai and Chennai who were residing in other rooms are said to have not bothered about his death despite a foul smell emanating from the victim's room.A 30-year-old habitual offender, identified as Karthik M Doulath, 30, from Rajajinagar, has been arrested by the Kadugodi police in this regard. Haldar, who owned a KTM Duke 390 bike, wanted to sell it and had posted an advertisement on 'Second to None' Facebook page. The victim had also put his mobile number for prospective buyers to approach him directly. The accused saw the advertisement on August 1 and called Haldar claiming to be interested in the bike. Haldar asked Doulath to meet him directly near his apartment.
Haldar had applied for leave on Tuesday saying he needed to complete paperwork since he was selling the bike. The accused went to Haldar's flat on Tuesday. He even test rode the bike and expressed his interest in purchasing it. Doulath claimed to have studied engineering and stayed over at Haldar's flat on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, he left on the pretext of drawing money but purchased 100 grams of silver potassium cyanide powder from a goldsmith's shop in Peenya. Since the powder is allowed to be sold legally, the accused even got a bill for it.
"On Wednesday, Doulath reportedly consumed alcohol with the victim. While Haldar was resting, the accused put a spoonful of cyanide in the victim's mouth. When Haldar started vomiting, the accused rushed to the kitchen to get 'glucose' for the victim. Instead, the accused had brought a glass of water mixed with cyanide and a spoon of sugar. Haldar consumed the liquid and started to struggle. The accused covered the victim's face with a bedspread, and also held his hands and legs tightly. After the victim died, the accused pulled the room doors behind him, and fled with his mobile phone, ATM cards, cash and the bike which was parked in the basement," said an officer who is part of the investigations.
However, the incident came to light on Friday only after Haldar's colleagues came in search of him as he did not report to work. The accused had taken the bike to his residence and was trying to sell it to somebody. The Kadugodi police, who had registered a case, initially suspected that the victim may have died of excess drinking.
"While talking to his colleagues, we learnt about the reason Haldar had taken leave. We went in search of the bike at the basement but it was missing. We then checked the CCTV footage and found the accused leaving on the bike. We obtained the Call Detail Record (CDR) of the victim and found that he had spoken to the accused extensively. Then we tracked the accused and arrested him on Wednesday. After questioning him, he confessed to having killed Haldar. The stolen valuables have been recovered intact," the officer said.
Doulath: a habitual offender
The accused has worked in a few BPO companies, and did not stick to one place for more than six months. Since 2013, he was involved in various incidents; he once tried to drill a hole into a private MNC bank premises to commit theft, but he gave up midway due to police patrolling. The same year, he was caught red-handed while trying to steal gold chains from a jewellery show room in Malleswaram. After his release in 2015, he sedated his friend's aged parents and stole their laptop. Again after his release, he stole a bike from Cubbon Park limits.