Kerala martial arts trainer and wife from Kashmir arrested for killing biker in Bengaluru road rage

Dubai: A 24-year-old delivery agent was killed and his friend critically injured in a horrifying road rage incident in Bengaluru after a couple allegedly chased them for two kilometres and rammed their car into their bike following a minor collision, reports in the Indian media said.

Police have arrested the accused — Manoj Kumar (32), a Kalaripayattu martial arts trainer from Kerala, and his wife Aarti Sharma (30) from Jammu and Kashmir — for murder and destruction of evidence. The case, which initially appeared to be an accident, turned out to be a chilling act of revenge.

The incident occurred around 11.30pm on October 25 near Srirama Layout in Puttenahalli, under the Puttenahalli police station limits. The deceased, identified as Dharshan N (24), a gig worker, was riding a motorcycle with his friend G. Varun (24) as pillion when their bike brushed against the couple’s car, breaking its side mirror.

According to investigators, this seemingly minor accident triggered a deadly chase. Enraged by the damage, Manoj took a U-turn and pursued the bikers for nearly two kilometres before intentionally ramming his car into their two-wheeler from behind, throwing both riders into the air. Dharshan died on the spot, while Varun sustained severe injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

DCP (South) Lokesh Jagalasar said, “On October 25, in Srirama Layout near Puttenahalli, a car hit a bike carrying two youths. One of the riders died on the spot while the pillion rider was admitted to a hospital.

Initially, J.P. Nagar Traffic Police registered a case of accidental death. However, CCTV footage later revealed that the car driver had deliberately rammed into the bike from behind.”

Further investigation showed that the two bikers had earlier broken the car’s mirror and left the spot, angering the accused. “Losing control of himself, he took a U-turn, chased the scooter, and rammed it from behind. The car didn’t stop,” a senior investigating officer told The Times of India.

Another officer said the driver deliberately veered left to hit the victims. “The impact was so strong that both riders sprang into the air and fell on the road,” the officer said.

After the collision, Manoj fled the scene — but in a brazen attempt to destroy evidence, he returned minutes later with his wife, both wearing masks, to collect broken car parts scattered at the site. CCTV cameras captured their movements and faces clearly, helping police trace and arrest them.

Police have charged the couple under Sections 103(1), 109, 238, 324(5), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), India’s new criminal code that replaced the IPC.

Manoj has claimed his wife was not in the car during the crash and only came later to help him collect debris, but police are verifying this claim. Both accused have been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

The CCTV footage, which has gone viral on social media, has triggered widespread outrage and renewed concerns over the escalating menace of road rage and violent retaliation on Indian roads.