The murder reported near the Buda Complex on November 11 has taken a shocking turn, with police confirming that the motive was merely Rs. 1,500. Shivu (21), a labourer from Handralu village in Ballari, was killed by his friend Atish alias Satish (20) from Rampur village.
Both the victim and the accused worked as garbage collectors and had earned Rs. 2,000 that day. After spending Rs. 500 on alcohol while sitting atop the Buda Complex, Atish allegedly demanded a share of the remaining Rs. 1,500.
Shivu, who was intoxicated, reportedly refused to give him the money. In a fit of rage, Atish attacked him on the head and face with a liquor bottle and then pushed him off the four-storey building, killing him.
He hid the body under a pillar to avoid suspicion and later fled to the Bellary railway station, where he slept. The APMC police arrested him after CCTV footage showed both men together before the incident.