BENGALURU: Police probing former Karnataka DGP Om Prakash's murder case have learnt that his wife Pallavi threw chili powder on his face before stabbing him to death, sources said.
It has come to light that former Karnataka DGP Om Prakash was murdered in a gruesome manner. First, chilli powder was thrown on his face, a blanket was draped on him and cooking oil was poured to restrict his movement before his hands and legs were tied and was stabbed multiple times, particularly on his neck and abdomen.
Prakash, a 1981 batch IPS officer hailing from Bihar, was found dead in a pool of blood in the ground floor of his three-storeyed house in the posh HSR Layout in the city on Sunday.
His wife, Pallavi and daughter Kriti have been detained by the police. They allegedly disclosed to the police, during interrogation, the manner in which they carried out the murder.
A senior police officer involved in the investigation said that Pallavi disclosed frequent quarrels had been taking place at home over the past one week.
Om Prakash allegedly kept threatening her and their daughter with a gun, saying he would shoot them. This led to an unbearable and tense atmosphere at home. Pallavi claimed that both she and her daughter were mentally exhausted due to his harassment.
Pallavi further stated that on the day of the murder, arguments erupted again over various issues. By the afternoon, the quarrel escalated, and Om Prakash allegedly attempted to kill them. In an act of self-defense, Pallavi confessed they first threw chilli powder on him, then poured cooking oil to restrict his movements. They tied his hands and legs, and stabbed him with a kitchen knife. Prakash succumbed to his injuries due to excessive bleeding.
After the murder, Pallavi called her friend, a retired IPS officer’s wife, and said, “I killed a monster,” before alerting the local police.
Further interrogation is ongoing to determine the role of Om Prakash’s daughter, Kriti, in the murder. Both Pallavi and Kriti are currently in police custody and are being questioned, a senior police said.
According to the FIR filed, Om Prakash’s son, Karthikesh, alleged that his mother had been threatening to kill his father.
The Whatsapp chats of Pallavi with her friends that have been making rounds on social media, also accessed by TNIE, state that Prakash had been trying to poison his wife and daughter.
The conversations Pallavi shared read: "Prakash has been trying to poison me and my daughter by adding insulin, sanitiser, and other biochemical weapons to food, water, and air, and even food obtained from delivery platforms was being adulterated. My daughter is suffering and I can’t sit quiet. If possible let the DGP give me accommodation in Ashok Nagar quarters temporarily. There things might be comparatively safer."
Pallavi also alleged that Om Prakash had terrorist links and was a “PFI member” and urged that this should be brought to the notice of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The police said, these messages are not being taken seriously so far, but they are not being ignored and are being investigated.
Meanwhile, Om Prakash’s last rites and cremation were held at Wilson Garden in Bengaluru. Several political leaders, including Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, retired IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, senior police officials, and family members paid their respects.