Court Rejects Bail for Advocate Accused of Bannerghatta Contract Murder

A Bengaluru district court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of 39-year-old advocate B Lokesh, accused of arranging the contract killing of gym trainer Vijay Kumar in the Bannerghatta forest area. The court delivered the ruling on July 22, stating that a practicing advocate participating in murder cases goes against the principles of advocacy.

The 35-year-old victim was killed on June 6 after being lured to a drinking party by a gang allegedly hired by Lokesh. Kumar’s decomposed body was later discovered in the Bannerghatta forest area on June 9.

According to police investigations, 50-year-old real estate businessman Prasad Rao paid Lokesh to arrange the murder to end Kumar’s relationship with Rao’s daughter. Lokesh then allegedly hired Sriram, a local rowdy sheeter in the Anekal region who was his legal client, to carry out the crime.

Rejecting the bail petition, the court noted that taking money to kill a person is a heinous offence and that an advocate should work to reform society rather than engage in crime. Evidence presented by the police showed WhatsApp and FaceTime communication between Rao and Lokesh, as well as call records linking Lokesh to the primary accused before, during, and after the murder.

The investigation revealed that Lokesh transferred the money from Rao to Sriram through an associate named Anush. Investigators also stated that Lokesh went missing and turned off his mobile phone after police arrested four suspects on June 17.

Bannerghatta police initially arrested four residents of Anekal—Sriram, Sumith, Venkateshaiah, and Babu—based on call records and evidence. A fifth individual was later arrested for aiding in the disposal of the body.

Lokesh has since approached the Karnataka High Court seeking anticipatory bail. The High Court issued a notice to the state and scheduled the matter for August 12. Earlier, Lokesh had petitioned the High Court to remove his name from the accused list after police sought CCTV footage from his office, but that petition was disposed of on July 9 with directions to seek bail.