Man dies in NH-48 car explosion after kidnapping Jayanagar woman

A car explosion on National Highway-48 near Jogihalli in Tumakuru district on Friday morning left one man dead and two others injured, following a violent kidnapping that began in Jayanagar, Bengaluru. The deceased has been identified as 30-year-old Nagendra, a native of Ankola who was living in Bengaluru.

According to the Karnataka Police, Nagendra and one of the injured passengers, Ramya, were previously in a relationship but had recently fallen out. Ramya works as an operation theatre technician at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Bengaluru.

On Friday morning, Nagendra went to Ramya’s rented accommodation in Jayanagar, where he got into a quarrel with her. He then forcibly took her into a cab driven by Praveen. Ramya's parents had already registered a kidnapping complaint with the police following her abduction.

The cab was travelling from Bengaluru towards Ankola when the situation escalated. The driver, Praveen, told investigators that Nagendra threatened to kill Ramya during the journey and showed her what appeared to be a petrol bomb.

As the vehicle neared Jogihalli, Nagendra allegedly attacked Ramya with a knife inside the moving cab. Praveen stopped the vehicle, allowing Ramya to escape. Moments later, the vehicle exploded and was engulfed in flames, killing Nagendra on the spot.

Both Ramya and Praveen sustained injuries during the incident and were admitted to the Tumakuru District Hospital for treatment. The vehicle was completely destroyed by the fire. The explosion also caused a major traffic disruption, leading to a pile-up stretching over a kilometre on the highway.

The Karnataka Police have launched a formal probe into the incident. Investigators recovered bomb-like material from the burnt vehicle, which has been sent for forensic examination. A senior police officer stated that forensic experts are currently examining the recovered materials to establish the exact cause of the explosion and the sequence of events.