Man held for murder of 75-year-old woman, guest

Police had to open fire after he attacked a constable with a knife in a bid to evade arrest

The Puttenahalli police on Wednesday solved the April 7 murder of a 75-year-old woman and her guest in her house in J.P. Nagar following the arrest of a 32-year-old habitual offender. The bodies of Mamatha Basu and her son’s friend Debrath Behara were found by the domestic help. According to the police, the accused, Manjunath, hails from Konanakunte. He met Behara at a bar. Behara bought a cigarette from a shop outside the bar and tried to pay for it online. “When the transaction failed to go through, Manjunath stepped in and paid ₹12 for the cigarette. Later, he following Behara with the intention of snatching his mobile phone,” said a police officer. However, before he could get an opportunity to strike, Behara reached Mamatha’s house and rang the bell. When Mamatha opened the door, Manjunath noticed that she was wearing a lot of gold.