For Rs 10 parking fee, Bengaluru man murdered at movie theatre

Bharani Dharan, a 38-year-old resident of Austin Town had gone to Lavanya Theatre, a cinema hall in Bharatinagar, to watch a movie on Thursday night.

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A Bengaluru movie-goer was brutally beaten to death at a movie theatre parking complex by a parking attendant and his assistant, over a parking fee of Rs 10.

Bharani Dharan, a 38-year-old resident of Austin Town had gone to Lavanya Theatre, a cinema hall in Bharatinagar, to watch a movie on Thursday night.

Bharatinagar police told TNM that Bharani Dharan is a daily-wage worker and would often get drunk and watch films at night after work.

“Bharani arrived at the movie theatre at 5.30 pm to watch the movie Kanchana 3. He came on his motorbike and parked it in the movie hall’s parking spot,” the police said.

The parking attendant, 50-year-old K Selvaraj, asked Bharani to pay the parking fee of Rs 10 before going into the cinema hall. Bharani allegedly told Selvaraj that he would pay up when the movie ends.

Selvaraj allegedly insisted that Bharani pay the money on the spot. Bharani was allegedly drunk and so was Selvaraj. They began fighting with each other when Shekar, the housekeeping staff at the movie hall, who was also Selvaraj’s assistant, intervened. “Selvaraj pushed Bharani into the theatre’s compound and Shekar also began hitting him. Both of them began beating Bharani on his chest and soon he became unconscious,” the police added.

Bharani Dharan was rushed to Bowring Hospital by the police, where he was declared brought dead. Police say that the blows to Bharani’s chest were so hard that it cracked his ribs and punctured his organs. Selvaraj and Shekhar, residents of Frazer Town, were arrested on Friday for murder.

“Selvaraj was not even the actual parking attendant and he was collecting money illegally from people who parked two-wheelers near the theatre. All this started because of Rs 10 parking fee,” the police added.

Selvaraj and Shekar have been remanded to judicial custody.