Indian techie kills manager with dumbbell after argument over switching off office lights

A disagreement over switching off lights at a Bengaluru workplace turned deadly early Saturday when 41-year-old manager Bheemesh Babu was allegedly beaten to death with a dumbbell by his colleague.

The incident occurred around 1:30 am at a rented office of Data Digital Bank in Govindarajanagar, a company involved in storing movie shooting videos.

The deceased, Bheemesh Babu, was a Chitradurga resident who managed a digital vault and photo-editing firm near MC Layout. The accused, 24-year-old Somala Vamshi, a technical executive from Andhra Pradesh residing in Nayandahalli, surrendered to the Govindarajanagar police station shortly after the crime.

Police reports, cited by The Indian Express, indicate that Babu was sensitive to bright lights and often asked colleagues to turn them off when not needed. On the night of the incident, Babu requested Vamshi to switch off the lights while he was editing videos, triggering a heated argument that escalated into violence.

During the altercation, Vamshi allegedly threw chilli powder at Babu before striking him on the head with an iron dumbbell picked up from the room. The victim succumbed to the injuries.

Following the attack, Vamshi walked to the Govindarajanagar police station and surrendered. Authorities have registered a murder case. DCP (West) Girish S confirmed that the dispute over keeping office lights on ultimately led to the fatal incident.