BENGALURU: A 39-year-old assistant manager with a public sector bank was shot dead in full public view, allegedly by her estranged husband on Industrial Town Road in Magadi Road police limits, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday evening. The accused, who shot four bullets at her from a point-blank range, later surrendered to the police.
The deceased, Bhuvaneshwari, worked as an assistant manager at the Basaveshwaranagar branch of Union Bank of India. She was staying in Rajajinagar with her two children. She was married to Balamurugan (40), who worked as a software engineer at a private company in Whitefield but is unemployed now. He was living alone in KP Agrahara.
The couple, who hailed from Salem in Tamil Nadu, got married in 2011 and shifted to Whitefield in Bengaluru in 2018. They have been living separately for the past one-and-a-half years after troubles in their marriage.
After finishing her work, Bhuvaneshwari was walking home, which is around 3 km from her office, around 6.45 pm on Tuesday. Balamurugan, who had been waiting for her outside the bank, followed her for a distance before chasing her and firing five rounds at her from behind. Two bullets struck her head and two hit her hands while the other missed the target.
Divorce notice triggered fatal shooting of woman
Members of the public and a Hoysala police patrol vehicle rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was declared brought dead, the police said. The police are investigating whether the pistol used in the crime is licensed.
The accused was observing the victim’s movements for a few days before the murder, the police said According to the preliminary investigation, Bhuvaneshwari had sought a legal divorce from Balamurugan after they began living separately, the police said.
The accused allegedly suspected her of having an illicit relationship. Six months ago, she had taken a transfer from the Whitefield branch to the Basaveshwaranagar branch and was staying with her two children.
The accused, who was initially unaware of her whereabouts, found out her address and moved from Whitefield to KP Agrahara about a month ago. He had reportedly received a divorce notice a week ago.
“It is suspected that the accused, who was not ready to separate from his wife, was enraged that his wife had sent him a divorce notice and committed the murder,” an officer said.