A tale of agony: Man in Bengaluru drowns paralysed wife

A 60-year-old man murdered his 50-year-old wife who had been paralysed and bedridden for the last two years.

Shankarappa, a security guard, carried his immobilised wife, Shivamma, to the cellar of an apartment complex where the family lives. The nine-foot-deep cellar was filled with about seven feet of rainwater. As Shivamma tried to figure out why her husband had brought her there, he just threw her into the water and walked away. She tried hard but was unable to get out of the water. She just suffocated.

The tragedy unfolded on 80 Feet Road in Turahalli, near Thalaghattapura, South Bengaluru, between 12.30 pm and 12.45 pm on Sunday.

Tale of suffering and hardship

Behind the horrific murder is a tale of suffering and hardship. The family is originally from the Vijayapura district and has been living in Bengaluru for the last few years.

Shankarappa was a security guard at the under-construction apartment complex, which is owned by a man named Vishwanath. The work was stopped a few months ago because of some problems.

Shankarappa and Shivamma lived with their married daughter and two sons. Their son-in-law lived with them.

Shivamma’s illness was a matter of deep concern for the family, which also faced financial problems.

She was dependent on her husband and children for all her basic chores such as eating, bathing and attending to nature’s call.

At the time of the murder, the couple’s married daughter — a sweeper at a convention hall — was away at work. Her husband was also away from home. The elderly couple’s 11-year-old son had gone to a shop while the other son was also not home.

When the 11-year-old returned home, he was perplexed to see that his mother wasn’t in her bed. He then saw his father coming out of the cellar. When he asked about his mother, Shankarappa replied tersely that he didn’t know where she was and walked off.

The boy found his behaviour suspicious. On a hunch, he rushed to the cellar and heard his mother screaming for help. He didn’t immediately see where she was but saw her sari in the water. He ran out and called for help. But by the time Shivamma was retrieved from the water, she was dead.

Talaghattapura police later arrived at the scene and sent the body for an autopsy. They arrested Shankarappa for murder and interrogated him. They suspected that he had killed her because of her illness.