UDUPI: A 36-year-old woman, Prathima, who owns a beauty parlour, has been accused of murdering her husband with the help of her paramour in Ajekar of Karkala taluk. Ajekar police arrested Prathima and Dileep Hegde (28) of Hirgana, Karkala. Prathima and Dileep had mixed poisonous substances in food and given it to her husband Balakrishna (44) on October 20, and later strangled him.
Prathima had claimed that her husband had died suddenly. It was through her brother Sandeep that the truth was revealed. It is said that Prathima was into making reels and posting them on Instagram, through which she got in touch with Dileep. Police sources said Balakrishna had been suffering from fever and vomiting for at least 25 days before his murder.
He was taken to a hospital in Karkala, where doctors told the family that he was suffering from jaundice. Then he was taken to hospitals in Manipal, Mangaluru and Bengaluru. Balakrishna had not shown signs of recovery and his condition continued to deteriorate. He was taken back home in Ajekar on October 19 night with for starting Ayurvedic treatment. He was allegedly murdered the next day.
Prathima’s elder brother Sandeep, doubtful about Balakrishna’s death, asked his sister about it. Prathima revealed that she and Dileep had killed her husband at 1.30am on October 20. Before that, as per Dileep’s instructions, Prathima had mixed poison with the food and given it to her husband, assuming that it would kill him slowly. Prathima then called Dileep who arrived around 1.30 am and they allegedly strangled Balakrishna.