Bengaluru double murder: How ex-employee who stabbed tech firm’s MD, CEO was inspired by DC villain Joker

A sensational double murder has rocked Bengaluru. Two top executives of a tech company that provided internet services were stabbed to death by a former employee. The deceased, Subramanyam Phanindra, the managing director, and Vinu Kumar, the chief executive officer, of Aironics Media Private Limited, were reportedly attacked with multiple weapons including a machete, sword and small knife. The killings reportedly took place on the premises of the company. Three persons were involved in the murders and said to have forcefully entered the office at Pampa extension in Amruthahalli, north Bengaluru. The main accused has been identified as Shabarish; he called himself ‘Joker Felix’ and was inspired by the DC Comics villain. All three suspects have been arrested. The two others have been identified as Vinny Reddy and Santosh. The murder scene According to the police, the accused had a rivalry with the CEO and the MD. They used to work in their earlier firm. Shabarish then established his own company, a rival in the business. He held a grudge against Phanindra, who opposed his industry practices. The three suspects reportedly poached employees and customers. Around 4 pm on Tuesday, Shabarish entered the office, carrying a sword and a knife. He attacked the two executives, stabbed them to death and escaped from the spot. Shabarish came to the office building on a two-wheeler and was accompanied by the two other suspects. They held a discussion for about 20 minutes before the attack, according to a report in The Indian Express. [caption id=“attachment_12856452” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The murders took place on the office premises of Aironics Media Private in Bengaluru. ANI[/caption] Shabarish and his accomplices were carrying knives and machetes. The three accused were sitting in a room with Phanindra when they attacked him. When Kumar heard the screams, he intervened and tried to save him but he was also assaulted. There were 10 employees on the premises when the attack took place. “After stabbing the CEO and MD, the accused threatened other employees and fled from the scene,” a police officer told The Indian Express. Phanindra and Kumar were rushed to hospitals by the employees but the two succumbed to their injuries. ‘Joker’ Felix inspired by DC villain Shabarish and his associates are on the run. Their photographs have been publicised to trace their movement or location, said the police. After the murder, Shabarish posted the news as a status update on Instagram. His handle is joker_felix_rapper. A photograph on his Instagram account suggests that he was inspired by The Joker, the archnemis of Batman. With black paint around his eyes and lips and teeth painted red, it appears like he is trying to ape the DC villain.

The suspect identifies himself as a fashion model and “Kannada rapper” on Instagram, where he has 16.5k followers. His account has videos of performances and most of his posts are signed off with “Mr JF” (Joker Felix). He also has a YouTube channel called JF media, with more than 8.9k subscribers, where he posts Kannada rap songs. After the murder, Shabarish posted an Instagram story. “This planet peoples always flatters and cheaters. So I hurt this planet peoples. I hurt only bad peoples. I never hurt any good people (sic),” he wrote, according to a News9 report. He also posted a news clipping of the murder hours later. The hunt for the suspects Amruthahalli police, who have registered a murder, arrested Shabarish and his aides. Two teams were formed to trace them and conduct an investigation. “More details will emerge after a thorough investigation has been conducted," Raman Gupta, additional commissioner of police, East Division, told News18. According to officers investigating the case, the murder was pre-meditated. The accused had weapons and a vehicle ready to flee the scene. “One of the causes could be business rivalry,” an officer told News18. “The accused Felix is said to have launched a rival company working in the same area of expertise as Aeronics and the intense competition could have led to this attack.” With inputs from agencies