BENGALURU: A software engineer, cheated of Rs 1.25 lakh allegedly by a private tutorial owner, died after setting himself afire in JP Nagar in south Bengaluru.

Tutorial owner Aditya Bajaj is believed to have promised Ritesh Kumar , 35, a seat for his sevenyear-old son in a prestigious school in the city, but had failed to deliver.

In a desperate attempt to recover his money, police said, Kumar, a resident of LBS Nagar near HAL and a software engineer with a private firm in Marathahalli, may have only wanted to threaten Bajaj by dousing himself in petrol, but events spun out of control.

The incident took place on Thursday, and Kumar succumbed to burns at Victoria Hospital the next day.

Case of abetment to suicide filed against tutorial owner

Bajaj, 35, who suffered burns trying to save the engineer, is recovering in the same hospital. “We’ve registered a case of abetment to suicide and cheating against Bajaj,” deputy commissioner of police (south) SD Sharanappa told TOI. “I’ve asked JP Nagar police to find out if Aditya has cheated other parents too.”

Kumar is survived by wife Parul Mahensaria, their seven-year-old son and threeyear-old daughter. The son is in Class I at a school near the family’s residence. Police said the boy’s parents were keen on admitting him into a prestigious school.

Earlier this year, they contacted Bajaj, who runs Aditya Tutorials in JP Nagar. He promised them a seat. Kumar paid Bajaj Rs 2.5 lakh, but he reneged on his promise.

Police said Kumar began pressuring Bajaj to return his money. Bajaj returned Rs 1.25 lakh and sought time to return the rest. But Parul said in her complaint: “Aditya Bajaj told us he won’t return our money even if we died before him. My husband called me at 8.10pm on November 30 and said he is going to meet Aditya. I was informed about his suicide attempt at 11pm. He died the next day.” Police said Kumar was earning Rs 15 lakh per annum. “We are investigating whether he was trying to only threaten Aditya,” police said.

