#CrimeBytes: How security guard's resignation helped solve 1996 Bengaluru murder
Back in January 1996, British tourist James William Stuart was murdered in Bengaluru after being lured to an abandoned petrol bunk near Briand Square.
He died from blunt force trauma just minutes after his last meal. Tragically, his partner was raped separately by an autorickshaw driver.
A security guard's sudden resignation near the crime scene provided the breakthrough police needed to solve the case.
The breakthrough that led to the 5 arrests
Inspector Abdul Azeem and his team noticed Mahadevaiah, a security guard at the site, quit unexpectedly right after the murder. That raised red flags and led them to dig deeper.
Mahadevaiah later revealed that five men—including the autorickshaw driver Sanaullah—had tricked Stuart with a fake marijuana deal and tried to rob him before killing him in panic.
The group dumped Stuart's body 8km away and threatened Mahadevaiah into silence, but his testimony helped police arrest all five within days.
In April 1997, they were sentenced to life in prison—finally bringing some closure nearly three decades ago.