Bengaluru PG owner beaten to death with cricket bat over tap water dispute

A 37-year-old paying guest (PG) accommodation owner was beaten to death with a cricket bat outside his establishment in Ramamurthy Nagar, Bengaluru, on Monday evening following a dispute over the use of tap water. The victim, identified as Madhav Matle, was the owner of the Laxmi Narasimha PG where the incident occurred.

The Ramamurthy Nagar Police have arrested two college students in connection with the murder. The arrested individuals have been identified as 21-year-old Rakesh, a final-year Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) student, and 20-year-old Don Brite Son, a first-year Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) student. Both of the accused are currently in police custody facing murder charges.

According to the preliminary investigation conducted by the local police, the fatal incident took place between 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm on Monday. The confrontation began outside the Laxmi Narasimha PG premises when the two students, Rakesh and Don Brite Son, were using water from an outdoor tap to wash their legs.

Matle observed the students using the tap water and strongly objected to it. This objection quickly escalated into a heated verbal argument between the PG owner and the two students outside the building.

As the argument grew more intense, Matle allegedly picked up a cricket bat and attempted to attack the two college students. However, the situation escalated further when the accused students managed to snatch the cricket bat away from Matle's hands during the physical struggle.

Once they secured the bat, the two students allegedly used it to assault Matle, striking him repeatedly. Matle sustained severe injuries from the beating and subsequently died from his wounds.

Following the incident, a murder case was officially registered at the Ramamurthy Nagar Police Station. The police arrested both Rakesh and Don Brite Son shortly after. Officers stated that further investigation is currently underway to establish the exact sequence of events that led to the fatal assault.