Unable to Pay for iPhone, Man Stabs Delivery Agent to Death in Karnataka, Carries Body on Scooter

HASSAN: A man allegedly stabbed a delivery boy to death as he did not have the money to pay for the iPhone he had ordered online at Arsikere in the district, a police officer said on Monday. The accused Hemanth Datta (aged 20), who too is a delivery agent with a courier company, allegedly kept the body of Flipkart delivery agent Hemanth Naik (23) in a gunny bag for three days at home before throwing it near the railway track and then setting it on fire, Hassan Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar told reporters here.

"We got the information about a half burnt dead body near the railway track at Lakshmipuram near Anchekopalu bridge on February 11 morning," Shankar said.

The investigating police team identified it to be that of Hemanth Naik, who was missing since February 7 morning, he added.

Investigations revealed that Naik delivered two parcels on February 7 morning and left to deliver the third parcel in Lakshmipuram to Hemant Datta. After that Naik was not seen.

Datta was then taken into custody. Upon interrogation it came out that he had ordered a second-hand iPhone, Shankar said.

There is no cash-on-delivery option on the new phone but there is option for cash-on-delivery for the second-hand product, which costs about Rs 46,000 to Rs 47,000, the SP said.

"Hemanth Datta did not have money to pay. He asked the delivery boy (Hemanth Naik) to stay at home saying he was getting the money. Datta then planned to eliminate him with a knife. When Naik was busy scrolling his phone, Datta slit his throat and stabbed him to death," Shankar said.

Datta kept the body in the gunny bag inside his bathroom for three days. On February 10, the accused took the corpse in a scooter, dumped it near the railway bridge and burned it with kerosene and petrol.

"It was a very challenging case for us because there was no motive to murder. The victim did not have any enmity or any criminal background. The murder was only to get an iPhone without paying money," Shankar said.