Techie bludgeons manager to death with dumbbell after argument over lights

 

By Sagaya Fernando | November 3, 2025

Bengaluru, Karnataka, INDIA: A trivial argument over switching off office lights turned fatal when a 24-year-old technical executive allegedly killed his manager with a dumbbell in west Bengaluru. The incident took place in the early hours of Saturday (November 1) at a digital vault and photo-editing firm near MC Layout in Govindarajnagar.

According to police, the accused, identified as Somala Vamshi, a resident of Nayandahalli and a native of Andhra Pradesh, surrendered at the Govindarajanagar police station soon after the crime. The victim, Bheemesh Babu (41), hailed from Chitradurga and worked as a manager at the same firm.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Babu was sensitive to bright lights and often requested his colleagues to switch them off when not required. Around 1 am on Saturday, Vamshi, who was working late editing videos, reportedly became irritated when Babu once again asked him to turn off the lights. A verbal altercation ensued and quickly escalated.

In a fit of rage, Vamshi allegedly hurled chilli powder at Babu before picking up an iron dumbbell and repeatedly striking him on the head, face, and chest. Babu collapsed on the spot.

Panicking after the attack, Vamshi rushed to meet his colleague, Gowri Prasad, in Nayandahalli, and sought his help. Prasad, along with another friend, accompanied Vamshi back to the office, where they found Babu lying motionless. The duo immediately called an ambulance, but medical staff declared Babu dead on arrival.

A case of murder has been registered at Govindarajanagar police station. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Girish S confirmed that the altercation over keeping the office lights on had triggered the fatal assault.

Police are continuing their investigation to gather more evidence and ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the gruesome killing.