BENGALURU: A 12-day search launched by Annapurneshwarinagar police ended on Saturday with the arrests of Sharath Kumar, his aunt and sister, who allegedly harassed Sushmitha HS and pushed singer to suicide. Based on a tip-off, police interrogated their relatives. They revealed that Kumar, a manager in a car showroom on Lavelle Road, his aunt Vaidehi and sister Geetha, were holed up at their relatives’ house in Pandavapura in Mandya district. They have been handed over to judicial custody.
Sushmitha, (26) had left a death note before hanging herself at her motherhouse in Malagala near on February 17. Her mother Meenakshi filed a case against Kumar and his family who allegedly harassed her daughter every day for dowry. They would beat her and send her out of the house asking her to return with the money. “They had gone to several places before taking shelter at their relatives house where they were nabbed. Three of them had not used mobile phones since the incident came to light. They switched off all the phones so that the police could not track them through tower locations,” a senior police officer said.
Kumar told police that he had purchased a flat in Kaggalipura by paying Rs 58 lakh and was unable to pay the EMI. So he harassed Sushmitha for money. “He kicked her out of the house at midnight a couple of times. He never thought she would end her life. When the incident came to light, he called some friends who helped him escape from the city,” police said.