BENGALURU: The family of Kiran -- a 27-year-old man who was allegedly set ablaze by his girlfriend on Tuesday afternoon -- is devastated. His family members said that Prema, Kiran’s girlfriend who allegedly committed the murder, could have approached them or the police if she had any grievances, instead of murdering him.
Prema (27) and Kiran, who both were working at a telecom store, were in a relationship for the last six months.
At Victoria Hospital, where an autopsy was conducted on Wednesday, Kiran’s father broke down while talking to reporters. “I raised my son with a lot of love and care. I never even beat him. We sent him to Bengaluru hoping he would build a good future. He was my only child, now he is no more,” he said. The family resides in Chikkanayakanahalli of Tumakuru district. Prema, who allegedly killed his son, should also face punishment commensurate with the crime, he added.
One of Kiran’s cousins said, “It is hard to believe that for something as small as ignoring her, she did this to him. How will his parents live now. We did not want to break the shocking news to his mother. When we told her first that he had been admitted to ICU, she fainted.”
She mentioned that Kiran’s younger brother died of a snakebite at a young age. “After that, his parents raised him with even more care and love. He was in a relationship for six months and this happened.”
She said, “If Prema wanted to marry him or had any problem, she could have come to us or approached the police. There are laws for that. Why did she have to take his life?”
Spurned over marriage, GF executed killing: Probe
The Byadarahalli police on Wednesday took Prema into custody for three days for further questioning after producing her before a court. Preliminary investigation revealed that she was angry because her boyfriend Kiran was allegedly ignoring her and was refusing to marry her, which was what drove her to allegedly set him ablaze, police sources said.
A senior police officer said Prema had dropped out of her degree course and was working at the store where she got acquainted with Kiran. Soon after, they got into a relationship. But when Prema came to know that Kiran was in contact with his former girlfriend, she had frequent fights with him. “Kiran’s reluctance to marry her appears to have further aggravated the situation. Prema allegedly held a grudge against him for ignoring her and not agreeing to marriage,” the officer said.
The police said Prema had planned the crime and brought petrol, kerosene, and the wire to the house. On Tuesday, Prema’s mother and brother were away visiting her sister. Prema called Kiran to her house in Anjananagar. Prema allegedly insisted on spending some intimate time, after which she allegedly tied his hands and blindfolded him before pouring petrol and kerosene on him and setting him ablaze.
The police said that so far, only Prema’s involvement has been established.