BENGALURU: A 68-year-old woman was murdered and robbed in front of her bedridden husband at their residence on Pete Beedhi within the Nelamangala Town police limits on Wednesday.
The crime came to light around 6.30 pm when a physiotherapist arrived for the husband’s session and found him lying beside his wife’s body. The deceased has been identified as Shobha, who lived with her husband, Ranganath. The couple had no children, and the husband had been bedridden for 12 years.
The accused, Shiva Kumar (35), a neighbour and wholesale shop owner, reportedly entered the house by asking for water. He then slit her throat and fled with gold ornaments weighing around 450 grams, including the ones the victim was wearing.
Investigations revealed that Kumar had a loan of Rs 8 lakh due to gambling. CCTV footage captured his movements, showing him entering the house around 1.03 pm. When the police arrived, the accused was near the scene and was later seen leaving on a scooter.
“The motive behind the murder was financial gain. The victim, the daughter of a jewellery shop owner, regularly wore gold ornaments. Since no cash was found, the accused stole the ornaments,” an officer said. Further investigations are underway.