Trader found dead in hotel room

BANGALORE: A 22-year-old cosmetic merchant was found murdered in Pai Viceroy hotel, off JC Road, on Friday afternoon.
Hotel staffers who opened the door of the room after there was no response from the occupant, Shrinesh, a native of Kozhikode, Kerala, found the body of a man. The victim's both hands were tied and cotton stuffed in his mouth.
Summoned to the spot, police found documents on the victim's body, identifying him as Jithendra Kumar, 22, owner of Mahaveer Collections, a cosmetics shop in Majestic, and resident of Akkipet Main Road.
Shrinesh was nowhere to be found. He had checked into the hotel on Wednesday and was supposed to vacate on Friday. Police have now launched a manhunt for Shrinesh.
Police later tracked down Dayalal, father of Jithendra, who told them that Shrinesh claiming to be a cosmetics dealer had contacted Jithendra on Thursday.
Shrinesh told Jithendra that he was from Kozhikode, had samples of cosmetics and asked him to come to his room to see them. On Friday morning around 10am, Jithendra went to the hotel. Since then there had been no response from him.
Police suspected that it could be a planned murder. But guests staying in adjoining rooms told police that they heard loud noises from Shrinesh's room. Police have not ruled out argument resulting in the murder.
Police officers said that Dayalal has not been able to confirm if Jithendra was carrying any cash with him and thus it had become difficult to establish if the motive could be money.
Police have taken the address which Shrinesh had given to the hotel. "His mobile number is switched off at present. We have not been able to track it yet," said SN Sidaramppa, deputy commissioner of police (west).