BENGALURU: A 54-year-old lift operator, who was detained by Ramamurthy Nagar police, died due to alleged cardiac arrest while in their custody on Sunday evening. The city police had taken him for spot inspection after he was arrested when he complained of chest pain and died at a hospital later. Since it was a case of custodial death, it has been handed over to the CID.
The deceased has been identified as Krishnamurthy Naidu, who was working with the Madras Engineering Group in Ulsoor as a lift operator. Naidu had lost his left arm in an accident at a young age.
On November 20, 51-year-old Mekala Devi was found with her throat slit and her gold chain missing, inside her house at Abbaiah Reddy Layout in Ramamurthy Nagar. Her husband Naidu found her lying in a pool of blood and alerted others.
A senior police officer said according to Naidu’s statement to the police on November 20, he had left the house at 9 am and returned around 3.30 pm. He found his wife’s body and alerted his relatives.
The police started analysing CCTV footage, including that from his workplace and found that he had left the office around 10.30 am. He had not given any proper reason for doing so.
Following this, Naidu was thoroughly interrogated, and police began to suspect his involvement in the murder, and that he tried to divert their attention by claiming that a gold chain had been robbed. Seemanth Kumar Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police (East), said based on a confession, Naidu was arrested on Sunday. Since he died in police custody, the case will be investigated by the CID, and based on the report, further action will be taken, he added.
The officer said Naidu had confessed that he had married Devi 20 years ago, and the couple used to often quarrel for not having children. During such an altercation, he slit her throat in a fit of rage and then left for office. On the way, he buried the knife and gold chain in a pit near a lake, the police officer added.
On Sunday evening, the police took him to recover the weapon and chain when Naidu developed chest pain and was rushed to a nearby private hospital where he succumbed.The autopsy was conducted on Monday at Bowring hospital. His relatives, who came to receive the body, made no allegations against the police stating that it was a family matter, the officer said.