Drunken brawl turns deadly: Worker beaten to death near construction site, accused arrested

Dead man’s body. Focus on the hand | Photo credit: aradafotografie

The case, which was initially suspected to be an accidental death due to drunkenness, has now turned into a case of murder after the Whitefield police uncovered evidence pointing to a fatal attack near an under-construction building in Kundalahalli under Whitefield police station limits.

The deceased was identified as S. Mehboob Basha, 59, a resident of Kundalahalli, while the accused was identified as Sundaramurthy alias Shankar, 26. The police arrested the accused and charged him under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder.

According to the complaint filed by the deceased’s daughter Sabiha Basha (28), Mehboob Basha had been struggling with alcohol addiction for several years and often suffered injuries after falling down while drunk. After the death of his wife in 2013 due to illness, he reportedly developed severe alcoholism.

Police said that on the night of May 24, Mehboob Basha called his daughter around 9:30 pm while consuming alcohol and asked her to come near the house. At around 10:43 p.m., a neighbor informed the family that he had collapsed with serious injuries near the residence.

When family members reached the spot, they found Mehboob Basha lying unconscious with visible injuries on his body and fingers. He was later pronounced dead.

The police initially suspected that the victim might have died after an accidental fall while drunk. However, during the investigation, forensic teams, fingerprint experts, dog squad workers and crime scene officers (SOCOs) examined the scene and collected evidence.

Police also examined CCTV footage from the area and interviewed local witnesses staying near the construction site. During the investigation, the investigators reportedly found that Mehboob Basha had consumed alcohol with the accused near an under-construction building before an argument broke out between them around 10.30 pm.

According to the police, the argument escalated and the accused allegedly assaulted Mehboob Basha with a wooden stick, leading to his death. The body was taken to Vaidehi Hospital for postmortem before being returned to the family.

Based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, the Whitefield police converted the report of unnatural death to a case of homicide and arrested the accused. Further investigation is underway.

Published – 25 May 2026 21:59 IST