‘Suicide’ case turns out to be murder in Bengaluru
BENGALURU: What was believed to be a case of suicide, reported two months ago, has taken a new twist with a minor girl telling her relatives how her mother and her paramour killed her father by strangulating and hanging him. The family immediately approached the Hulimavu police who are now gathering evidence.
A senior police officer said that Ramachandra, a cab driver, was found hanging at his house in Yellappa Reddy Layout in Arakere on September 30. However, his wife did not inform the police before taking the body to her native Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and conducted the last rites.
Ramachandra’s 10-year-old daughter Priya (name changed) went to her grandmother’s house in Chittoor for the rituals which are performed after 11 days of the death when her aunt Janaki asked her what happened to her father. Priya narrated what had happened late that night and said that her mother Lavanya and an ‘uncle’, Shekar Babu, who used to come home often, had killed him, the officer revealed.
Janaki was shocked to learn about the murder. The girl further explained that on that fateful day, her mother had made ‘payasam’ for dinner and the father, after returning from work, had dinner and went to bed. Shekar wore a mask before entering the house and Lavanya opened the door. Shekar pinned down Ramachandra on the bed to strangle him while Lavanya fastened a rope around his neck.
Lavanya later took Priya and her sister to the kitchen and told them not to talk about the incident to anyone. The next day, the children were taken to a relative’s house. Lavanya then called her other relatives and said that Ramachandra had hanged himself when she was sleeping with her two daughters, the officer explained.
After coming to know of this, Janaki came to the city on Friday and told the police what the girl had revealed to her. The police again recorded Priya’s statement and registered a murder case against Lavanya and Babu.
Ramachandra’s family had alleged that Lavanya had an illicit affair with Shekar Babu. The girl has also identified him through a photograph which was shown to her. The duo had decided to kill Ramachandra as he questioned her fidelity and was harassing her, police said.
The police officer said, “Since the body was cremated, we are gathering evidence. We are yet to question Lavanya who is in her hometown. We have asked her to come for inquiry on Monday. Babu, who runs a mattress business, has been hospitalised citing a cardiac arrest. We will taken him into custody once he is discharged from hospital.”