Bengaluru man shoots wife dead, then turns gun on himself

Panic gripped Basaveshwaranagar in northern Bengaluru on Monday after a security guard shot his wife dead and turned the gun on himself over a domestic row.

Neighbours who heard the gunshots rushed to his house and were shocked to see a woman lying in a pool of blood. The deceased has been identified as Sumitra, 62. Her husband Kalappa, 68, shot himself in the stomach in an attempt to kill himself. He was later rushed to the hospital.

A senior police officer said Kalappa was working as a security guard at a private cash management company and the couple hail from Madikeri. They were living in a rented house after marrying off their three daughters.

The officer added that the couple quarrelled frequently over petty issues. Kalappa suspected that Sumitra was unfaithful to him. Sources said he had locked her up at home while going to work and did not allow her to speak to anyone, including the neighbours.

Sumitra had left home to be with one of their daughters, who brought her back home on Monday. Hours after the daughter left, Kalappa fought with Sumitra and beat her up. Sumitra tried hitting him back. Kalappa shot her in the abdomen with a single barrel gun. She collapsed screaming.

Having shot Sumitra, Kalappa turned the gun on himself. The neighbours rushed to the couple’s house on hearing the gunshots and took Kalappa to hospital. Police inspected the crime scene and booked Kaalappa for murder and attempted suicide based on a complaint filed by the house owner, Nanda Kumar.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Kalappa had a licensed gun and was using it for work. Since he is in a critical condition, police are waiting for his recovery to ascertain the exact reason behind the murder. A senior officer said Kalappa would be arrested after his discharge from the hospital.

Meanwhile, Sumitra’s body has been handed over to the family after the post-mortem. The last rites were conducted on Tuesday.