A 28-year-old MTech student died of injuries on Tuesday night after her husband allegedly attacked her with a machete following a quarrel at their home in Manjunathnagar near Basaveshwaranagar on the previous night.
Santosh Kumar (32) attempted to mislead police by fixing a noose at the murder spot and claiming his wife had tried to hang herself, but his story did not stick and he was arrested.
Kumar, a lecturer at Nadigar Engineering College, married Preetha, who was studying at BMS College of Engineering, in February. At the time of their marriage, Kumar had agreed to allow her to continue her studies as Preetha, who was doing well in academics, wanted to pursue a career.
However, the marriage soon became strained as Kumar started demanding `5 lakh from Preetha’s family to reportedly pay off officials in order to get his job confirmed, police said.
Preetha’s family maintained that they had spent nearly `15 lakh on her marriage and sought time till January to arrange the money. Angered by this, Kumar reportedly started to pressure Preetha to discontinue her studies and stay at home.
On Monday night, Kumar picked a quarrel with Preetha and attacked her with a machete. She was rushed to a private hospital even as Kumar tried to cover up his crime by fixing a noose from a fan in their house.
He told police that his wife had attempted to hang herself. However, his claims were exposed as the hospital authorities, where Preetha was admitted, said she succumbed to stab injuries.
Bangalore North taluk Special tahsildar Gopalaswamy S N said police had arrested Kumar and charges will be filed after obtaining the autopsy report. Preetha’s body was sent to her native Harige village near Sagar in Shimoga district.
Woman Found Hanging
A 33-year-old housewife was found hanging at her home in Kanakanagar near Hebbal on Tuesday. The deceased Noorjahan was the wife of Mohammad Iliyas, an auto driver, and the couple had a seven-year-old child. Noorjahan’s family has alleged that her husband had murdered her. Sandeep Patil, DCP (North) said Hebbal police are investigating.