A 36-year-old autorickshaw driver was stabbed to death over a drunken altercation near a bar in Bengaluru during the early hours of Monday. The deceased has been identified as Syed Shafi, 36, a resident of Razaqsab Palya in Bagalur.

According to the police, the incident took place around 1.30 a.m. near Meena Bar on the main road at Abbigere within the limits of the Chikkabanavara Police Station. The accused, identified as Darshan alias Das, had reportedly come to the bar along with his friends for drinks. After the bar closed, the group stepped outside to relieve themselves, while the victim was seated inside his autorickshaw along with another person.

The police said the accused allegedly picked up a quarrel with Shafi under the influence of alcohol, suspecting that the auto driver was staring at him. The argument soon escalated into a violent clash between the two. During the altercation, Darshan allegedly took out a dagger he was carrying and stabbed Shafi on the right side of his chest. Another person who was inside the autorickshaw reportedly fled the spot after witnessing the attack. Shafi collapsed on the spot due to severe bleeding and was declared dead. The Chikkabanavara police have registered a case and arrested Darshan.

Another killed

In another incident, a 25-year-old auto driver was allegedly murdered over a financial dispute and his body dumped in a pit near Ramanasandra in Kumbalagodu on Sunday. The complaint was filed by Pushpalatha, 49, a resident of Uday Layout, Tavarekere.

According to the complaint, her second son, Rakshith N, who worked as a passenger auto driver, had left home around 6 p.m. on May 24 after meeting his friend Mohin Pasha, a resident of Kambipura. Mohin Pasha had allegedly told Rakshith that he would help recover money owed to him. However, Rakshith did not return home thereafter. Worried over his whereabouts, Pushpalatha reportedly went to Kambipura on Sunday and questioned Mohin Pasha.

During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed that he had picked up a quarrel with Rakshith over financial matters near a lake at Ramanasandra. Police said Mohin Pasha, along with his relative Hasan, allegedly assaulted Rakshith with wooden sticks and later bludgeoned him to death. The accused allegedly dumped the body in a pit located in a vacant area at Ramanasandra before fleeing. Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case against the accused persons on charges of murder.