A retired BMTC employee and his wife were found brutally murdered in their South Bengaluru home on Friday afternoon.
The killers were known to the couple as they had let them in and served them tea. The whole house was ransacked but it’s not clear if anything was stolen, police say.
The horrific killings took place at Kashinagar near Yelachenahalli, Kumaraswamy Layout, between 1 pm and 3 pm.
P Kantharaju, 65, was found with his throat slit while his 61-year-old wife Prematha had been strangled. The murders were discovered by a tenant of the couple’s.
Kantharaju had retired as a mechanic from the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) while his wife was a homemaker. Kantharaju owned a three-storied residential building. The couple, who didn’t have children, lived on the ground floor and had rented the first and second floors. The couple lived off rental income and savings. They are believed to have converted to a minority faith.
Police found the house completely ransacked. The wardrobe had been smashed open, and household items were strewn all over. It looks like the killers searched every nook and corner of the house. “It’s difficult to determine if the killers took anything because nobody lived in the house, except for the couple,” said a police officer investigating the case.
A police source, however, claimed that the killers did steal the valuables after murdering the couple.
Citing circumstantial evidence, the officer said the killers were known to the couple. Police found four tea glasses on the floor of the living room. “It appears the couple had served their killers tea,” the officer added.
The building doesn’t have CCTV cameras. Police are checking the footage of surveillance cameras from surrounding buildings for possible leads about the killers. They are also questioning neighbours, the officer said.
The twin murders come at a time when the Bengaluru police claim to be patrolling the streets extensively to weed out crime.
City police chief Kamal Pant said four special teams had been formed to hunt down the killers. “We understand that the couple was usually visited by neighbours and some local residents.
We will question their relatives to find out if the couple owned any gold jewellery,” Pant added.