Murder-suicide case: Woman probably 'killed' 48 hours before body found in Bengaluru flat

A day after a man allegedly shot his mother-in-law and took his own life, after flying down to the city from Bengaluru, where he had also apparently killed his estranged wife, a police officer here on Tuesday said the murder in the Karnataka capital might have been committed two days ago.

In his suicide note, Amit Agarwal (42) claimed that he killed his wife Shilpi in Bengaluru before flying down to the city on Monday evening.

He had left his son at his brother's residence here, ahead of his meeting with in-laws in the Phoolbagan area of the city.

According to the senior police officer, Shilpi's body was found in a decomposed state in her Whitefield flat in the Karnataka capital.

"We have been informed by the Bengaluru Police that Shilpi's body was found in a decomposed state. As per their report, she might have been killed at least 48 hours before her body was found," he said.

Police in the southern state are trying to find out if Agarwal had stayed at the same flat with their 10-year-old son, after allegedly killing his wife, or put up elsewhere, the officer explained.

An initial probe has suggested that the Agarwal couple, both chartered accountants, had separated around two years ago and was fighting a legal battle for divorce.

Shilpi had been staying in Bengaluru with their son, while Amit lived in Uttarpara near here, the police said.

The 42-year-old allegedly killed his mother-in-law Lalita Dhandhania, aged around 60 years, at her flat in Phoolbagan, after an altercation on Monday evening.

His father-in-law, who managed to escape, informed the local police station, following which a team of officers arrived at the residence and found Agarwal lying in a pool of blood and the firearm on the floor.

The suicide note revealed that he had earlier killed his wife in Bengaluru.

"The case is still at a nascent stage, and more details will be available after a probe," the officer stated.