Bacteria, fungi at crime scene help police nab woman's killer

Cops solve Jayanagar murder, arrest ragpicker, friends

Certain micro-organisms at the scene of the crime helped the police crack the murder of a 57-year-old woman. The Tilaknagar police arrested three ragpickers, one of whom had reportedly murdered the woman on April 4. The arrested are Ganesh (19), a resident of Tilaknagar, Chinnaraju (30) and Shaktivelu (31), both residents of Kempegowda Nagar near Chamarajpet.

Mani Venkatesh, a native of Andhra Pradesh, was found lying in a pool of blood in her first floor rented house in Jayanagar 9th ‘A’ Block. Her son Kishore (37) was found locked in another room. After several attempts to call his mother failed, Kishore called up building manager Amarnath, who opened the main door and found the woman dead. Investigating officers discovered that the killer entered the house through a window. Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) experts noticed dust particles removed at certain parts of the window.

Experts collected samples from these portions along with dried sweat swabs. “Our men discovered certain micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) at the crime spot that are commonly found on the hands of ragpickers. We then narrowed down the search,” said Hemant Nimbalkar, Additional Commissioner of Police (East), lauding his men’s professional tactics. Investigators did not collect any solid fingerprint evidence as the crime scene was already disturbed by Amarnath and Pradeep Kumar, the house owner.

Gold ornaments had gone missing from the house and the police zeroed in on habitual offenders who were ragpickers. The police then picked up Ganesh, who had the matching micro-organisms on his hands and body. After thorough grilling, he confessed that he had locked up a man in a room and then killed Mani as she woke up when he was trying to take her bangles. He bludgeoned her with an iron rod, killing her instantly. He then robbed the gold ornaments and fled.

Ganesh said he was alone that night but said he and his two associates – Chinnaraju and Shaktivelu — were involved in nine burglaries in KG Nagar and Girinagar. The police have recovered the stolen booty, including the gold ornaments.

Victim’s son was suspect
The police had initially suspected that Kishore killed his mother over property, but after learning that he had rejected a well-paying job in the US just to take care of his mother, they ruled out his involvement.

How they caught killer
The police confirmed Ganesh’s role after the dog squad led the police to a nearby bar. The police reviewed the CCTV footage and procured his identity after they learned that he had inhaled solution and had a few drinks before murdering Mani.