Car runs over Bengaluru techie, killing him, after he refuses to buy cigarettes for driver

BENGALURU: A 29-year-old software professional has died after being deliberately run over in Bengaluru, following a minor roadside dispute over cigarettes.The victim, HN Sanjay, a resident of Vajarahalli, was with his colleague Chetan, 30, when the incident occurred in the early hours of 10 May near Vasanthapura Cross on Kanakapura Road. According to police, the two were smoking near a shop in Subramanyapura when a man, identified as Prateek, arrived in an SUV and asked Sanjay to fetch him a cigarette from a nearby vendor. Sanjay refused and reprimanded the man, leading to an argument. Witnesses said the situation escalated when Prateek physically assaulted Sanjay.Shortly afterwards, as Sanjay and Chetan left the area on a motorcycle, Prateek allegedly followed them in his SUV and rammed their bike from behind before fleeing the scene. Sanjay sustained severe head injuries after falling off the motorcycle and later died in hospital. Chetan, who was also injured, remains under treatment. Police have registered a case of murder following Sanjay’s death, which was initially treated as an attempted murder based on Chetan’s complaint. CCTV footage from the area captured the sequence of events, aiding investigators in identifying the suspect. Prateek has since been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.