BENGALURU: Two-time former BBMP councillor from BJP, Rekha Kadiresh, who had represented Chalavadipalya ward, was hacked to death outside her office in Flower Garden area under Cottonpet police limits on Thursday morning.The police have zeroed in on two suspects, including a person who was a gunman of her slain husband. Rekha’s husband Kadiresh, a former corporator himself from the same ward, was hacked to death on February 7, 2018.
According to the police, the incident occurred around 10.30 am when Rekha, aged around 45 years, was distributing food packets to people outside her office. Two persons approached her on the pretext of talking to her, pulled out lethal weapons and hacked her in full public view before fleeing.“Another person, who was with Rekha, also allegedly helped the assailants in the attack. The killers first stabbed her in the neck and, when she tried to escape and save herself, chased and fatally hacked her. The public ran helter-skelter as soon as the assailants started attacking Rekha, while some managed to put her in an autorickshaw and rushed her to a hospital, but she died en route,” a police officer said.
The police called it a ‘well-planned murder’ as the assailants had turned the direction of the CCTV cameras, installed nearby, away from its focus on the spot to avoid being captured on camera.“Preliminary probe has established that two persons, identified as Peter and Surya, are behind the murder. Peter was the gunman of Rekha’s husband Kadiresh, while Surya is a local resident. An initial probe has ruled out political motive behind the killing, but we are looking into all possible angles including personal, professional, rivalry and financial dispute that might have led to the killing,” the officer said. Rekha’s family members alleged that there was a threat to her life as well as that of her two children after Kadiresh’s murder, and hence the children were not being sent out of the house.
Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said he had spoken to Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant and asked him to take stringent action against the killers, while expressing confidence that the accused will be nabbed within 24 hours. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai too said he has instructed the police commissioner to conduct a detailed investigation.