In a disturbing case that has shocked Bengaluru, a 24-year-old food delivery agent named Darshan was killed on 25 October after a Kalaripayattu martial arts instructor and his wife deliberately rammed their car into his scooter.

What started as a minor brush between two vehicles quickly turned into a horrifying act of rage and vengeance. The entire sequence was caught on CCTV cameras, leaving no doubt that this was an intentional killing rather than a road accident.

According to the police, the accused were identified as Manoj Kumar (32), a martial arts trainer from Kerala, and his wife Aarati Sharma (30), a native of Jammu & Kashmir. Both have been arrested and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. The couple, married for five years and living in Bengaluru, are now facing murder charges for taking the life of a young man over a trivial incident.

The CCTV footage from Nataraja Layout in the southern part of the city clearly shows the couple’s car intentionally hitting the scooter from behind. Darshan, who hailed from Kembattalli, was unmarried and lived with his parents and sister, who are now left devastated by the sudden loss of their son.

Investigators said that around 9 p.m., Darshan’s scooter slightly brushed against the car’s right-side rear-view mirror, causing minor damage. Darshan and his pillion rider immediately apologised and continued toward their customer’s delivery point. However, the apology did not calm Manoj Kumar’s temper. Consumed by anger, he took a U-turn, followed the scooter, and within minutes rammed into it from behind, sending both riders crashing onto the road.

“Losing control of himself, he took a U-turn and chased Darshan’s scooter. In a few minutes, he spotted Darshan. Pressing the accelerator, Kumar rammed the car into Darshan’s scooter from behind and sped away. Both Darshan and Varun fell onto the road,” disclosed a police officer.

Locals who witnessed the crash rushed to help the two men lying on the road. Both were taken to a nearby hospital, but doctors pronounced Darshan dead on arrival, while Varun, his friend, survived with injuries. Initially, the JP Nagar Traffic Police registered a hit-and-run case based on a complaint filed by Darshan’s sister, as the driver’s identity was unknown at that point.

Soon after, investigators collected CCTV footage from nearby cameras. The visuals told a chilling story — the car driver had deliberately hit the scooter. A senior officer explained, “To our horror, we discovered that it was not an accident but an intentional act of dashing into Darshan’s scooter from behind. The driver suddenly veered to the left, dashed into the vehicle, and sped away, suggesting it was intentional.” Following this discovery, the Puttenahalli Police registered a fresh case of murder against the couple.

Later that night, at around 9:40 p.m., the same car returned to the scene. CCTV footage showed the accused couple wearing masks and collecting broken parts from their vehicle. One senior officer said, “The couple, wearing masks, was seen collecting parts of the car that had come off while ramming the scooter. The couple then drove back and this time, their faces were clearly visible.”

The footage became crucial evidence that tied the couple directly to the act. Lokesh Jagalasar, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), confirmed that both Manoj and Aarati had confessed to their involvement. Manoj claimed that he was the only one driving the car during the crash, while his wife merely accompanied him later to retrieve the vehicle’s damaged parts. However, the police are not taking his word at face value. “However, we will examine his claim. As of now, we have arrested both on murder charges,” said the DCP.

According to investigators, CCTV cameras clearly captured the couple’s faces when they revisited the site to collect car fragments. This evidence, combined with their confession, has made the case against them airtight.

The tragedy has sparked widespread outrage in the city, with many calling for stronger punishment in road-rage crimes. The case continues to be investigated by the Puttenahalli Police, and further forensic analysis of the vehicle and CCTV footage is underway.