Prasad Rao and B Lokesh seek bail in Bengaluru gym trainer murder case

A real estate businessman and his advocate associate have approached a Bengaluru Rural sessions court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the contract killing of a gym trainer in Anekal. The realtor, Prasad Rao, filed his plea on July 9, while advocate B Lokesh moved the court on July 10, following the discovery of the victim's body near the Bannerghatta forest.

The victim, 35-year-old gym trainer Vijay Kumar, also known as Vijay Yadav, went missing on June 6. Locals discovered his decomposed body in the forest on June 9. The court has directed the state to file its objections to the anticipatory bail pleas by July 15.

According to police sources, the murder was allegedly motivated by an affair between Vijay Kumar and Rao's daughter. The two had previously eloped in 2023, and the daughter was subsequently sent abroad for her studies in December 2025.

The police investigation revealed that a Rs 25-lakh contract was allegedly given to a four-member gang to execute the murder. The gang members—Srirama, Sumith, Venkateshaiah, and Babu, all residents of Anekal—were arrested by the Bannerghatta police.

The suspects allegedly lured Vijay Kumar to a drinking party in Anekal on June 6, where he was struck on the head and killed. One of the accused, Sumith, had reportedly joined the gym to befriend the trainer and lure him into the trap.

The gang had initially planned to dump the body across the state border in Tamil Nadu and stage a surrender. However, they reportedly overslept and were unable to find a suitable disposal spot, leading them to hurriedly dump the decomposing body in the Bannerghatta forest.

The case has since been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The transfer occurred last month after the realtor's wife made allegations of misconduct against a senior central range police officer who was supervising the initial investigation at the Bannerghatta police station.