Navya and Bhagyamma (L) and Hemavathi (R)
Credit: Special Arrangement
Bengaluru: A home guard allegedly murdered his wife, daughter, and niece before surrendering to the police in a residential area near Jalahalli Cross in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening.
The accused, Gangaraju, 42, worked at the Hebbagodi police station in Electronics City, southern Bengaluru.
The police identified the victims as Gangaraju’s 36-year-old wife Bhagyamma, his 10-year-old daughter Navya, and Bhagyamma’s 23-year-old niece Hemavathi, who had come to Bengaluru from Thyamagondlu, Nelamangala, a day earlier.
The family had been living in a rented first-floor home in Nethaji Nagar near the Jalahalli metro station for the past six years.
According to the preliminary investigation, Gangaraju allegedly beheaded Navya and Hemavathi with a machete. He then waited for Bhagyamma to return home before hacking her to death. After the murders, he walked to the Peenya police station, roughly 700 meters away, carrying the bloodied weapon.
Sources said Gangaraju suspected his wife’s fidelity and was frustrated with his wife and daughter for “not listening to him”. Neighbours reported frequent arguments in the household, often fuelled by Gangaraju’s drinking habits.
One neighbour claimed that Gangaraju had previously complained to the police about being beaten up by his wife and daughter. On Wednesday, a Hoysala patrol vehicle had visited the area following a dispute earlier in the day.
The police cordoned off the area and recovered the bodies from a single room in the house. The victims’ remains were sent to Victoria Hospital for post-mortem examinations, scheduled for Thursday.
The house in Nethaji Nagar where the incident took place.
Credit: DH Photo/ Shantanu Hornad
'Will ascertain motive after probe'
“We received a 112 call around 5 pm, and our Hoysala team arrived at the scene immediately,” said Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash. “Three women’s bodies were found in one room, killed with a sharp weapon. The suspect surrendered at the station with the weapon. We will ascertain the motive after further investigations.”