A labourer from Bihar was bludgeoned to death in the Varthur area of Bengaluru following a heated dispute that began over a Rs 20 packet of gutka. The tragic incident occurred on the night of July 28 and came to light the following morning when co-workers found the victim dead at a construction site.

The deceased, identified as Jitendra Pandey alias Bablu, aged around 35–36, and the accused, 40-year-old Sitaram, were both employed as tile workers at a private school site in Ramagondanahalli near Varthur. They hailed from the same district in Bihar — Begusarai — and were known to be friends.

Police investigations revealed that the two men had been drinking together on the night of the incident. During the session, Bablu handed Sitaram Rs 20 and asked him to buy a Vimal gutka packet. This seemingly simple request escalated tensions between the two.

Sitaram reportedly took offense at being asked to make the purchase by someone younger. According to police, the accused “felt humiliated and in a fit of rage, hit the victim with a hammer.” However, initial findings also suggest that a trowel may have been used in the attack, as some witnesses described.

The altercation allegedly turned physical after the argument. While Bablu was asleep later that night, Sitaram is said to have launched the fatal assault. Bablu died on the spot. His body was discovered on July 29 when other workers arrived at the construction site to begin their day.

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Police confirmed the motive was driven by hurt ego, worsened by the effects of alcohol. “Both were in an inebriated state,” said a police official involved in the investigation. A murder case was registered by the Varthur police, and Sitaram was arrested soon after.

This is not the first instance in Bengaluru where a petty dispute has ended in violence. In a separate case from May this year, a 29-year-old software engineer named Sanjay lost his life following a hit-and-run that allegedly began over a cigarette refusal. Reports indicate the accused was enraged after being denied a cigarette, followed the victims, and rammed into their two-wheeler. Sanjay died two days later, while his friend survived with injuries.

Back in Varthur, police say further inquiries are underway to confirm the sequence of events and weapon used in the July 28 killing. The case highlights how quickly interpersonal conflicts can spiral into deadly violence — even over minor provocations.