Woman Lecturer Found Dead in Burnt Car in Bengaluru; Police Probe Incident

PTI, May 05, 2026, Bengaluru : A 46-year-old man allegedly killed a woman lecturer by setting fire to the car with her inside, before dying by suicide; his severed body was found by railway police the next day, police said on Tuesday.

The deceased, identified as Ramanjinappa, a resident of Doddaballapura, was a contract worker in the tehsildar’s office, they said.

Police said the man, who was married and had apparently separated from his wife, was in a relationship with a woman identified as Saroja, whose charred body was found in a gutted car in an isolated area near the Bashetty Industrial Area in Doddaballapura taluk on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

Saroja was also married and had a son, police said.

According to police, on Saturday, the man allegedly borrowed a car from an acquaintance, claiming he had a medical emergency and needed to visit a hospital.

Citing preliminary investigation, a senior police officer said the man picked up the lecturer from a bus stop in Devanahalli. The two spent a couple of hours driving around Nandi Hills and nearby areas.

Later, they reached a secluded spot in Doddaballapura, where it is suspected that an argument ensued inside the car, following which he allegedly hit her on the head with a hammer, the officer said.

He then set the car on fire, reportedly using petrol, and is believed to have died by suicide thereafter, police said.

Locals who saw the burning car alerted the police and fire department, who rushed to the spot, extinguished the fire, and found the woman's body completely charred in the vehicle, the officer added.

His severed body was found near railway tracks in Bidadi by the railway police on Sunday, he said.

The motive and whether the crime was premeditated or impulsive are under investigation, he said.

Saroja's husband filed a complaint accusing Ramanjinappa of killing her, police said, adding that a detailed investigation is under way to establish the exact sequence of events.