It was May 21, 2012, when Ramya met Nandan Gowda, a real estate businessman from Hesaraghatta, with whom she later fell in love. She had thrown an informal party on her 24th birthday when one of the neighbours, Reddy, introduced her to Gowda.
The couple soon became friends and fell in love. While Ramya’s parents were aware that she was seeing Gowda, they didn’t realise that their relationship would go so deep as to make them commit to each other.
Ramya, a B Com graduate, quit her job with a private firm in the City two months ago, apparently in preparation for marriage.
She, however, did not inform her family until the eleventh hour. Her mother, Kalavathi, said that she got the shock of her life when Gowda turned up at her house on Monday and said that he was marrying her daughter.
“Nandan had gone to Srinivasa Temple in Mahalakshmi Layout and scheduled the marriage for 9.30 am, Wednesday. The couple was only informing us and sought our blessings. Nandan said that his family objected to the alliance on caste lines.
While he is a Vokkaliga, we are Bhovis. He was afraid that his family would prevent the marriage if they were informed beforehand. That’s why he wanted to marry Ramya first before seeing his family,” Kalavathi told Deccan Herald. “We thought the alliance was workable and hence gave our consent.”
Meera, the couple’s common friend who is untraceable, was apparently against the alliance. She would advise Ramya against marrying Gowda. She even doubted Gowda’s character, spoke ill of his family and made mockery of their poor financial condition, Kalavathi alleged.
As it emerges that Meera was the person who was with Ramya just before her murder, police suspect she is the key to solving the mystery.