Man accused of smothering girlfriend in her apartment in Bengaluru

The police have seized the accused's belongings, including a bag, his mobile phone, and a wallet which contained his Aadhar card

Arpith Gurijala

A 29-year-old man allegedly killed his girlfriend by smothering her in her apartment flat in Kodihalli, East Bengaluru, on Monday. He then attempted to stage the scene as a suicide by hanging her from the ceiling fan.

The victim, Akanksha Bidyasar, 23, lived in the apartment with a friend. She worked in a private company. The accused, Arpith Gurijala worked for an online learning application firm in Hyderabad.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Akanksha hailed from Hyderabad and Arpith was from Delhi. Both of them worked for the same online learning firm in Hyderabad and developed a friendship that blossomed into romance. The duo was later transferred to Bengaluru. While Akanksha left her job to join another firm, Arpith was transferred back to Hyderabad a few months ago.

As their relationship progressed, disagreements arose, leading to frequent verbal fights. They mutually decided to end their relationship. Arpith visited Akanksha on Monday.

CCTV footage from the building showed the couple leaving and returning to the flat around 3.10 pm. According to a senior officer, Arpith left the flat at around 4.50 pm but returned within 10 minutes. He left again after 15 minutes. Before Akanksha's flatmate, Navaneetha, returned from work, their domestic helper called Navaneetha and informed her that she had come to do house chores but received no response when she knocked on the door.

Navaneetha arrived home at around 6 pm and used a spare key to open the door, discovering Akanksha's lifeless body on the floor in the hall. She immediately locked the door and notified other residents of the apartment. The police were alerted promptly. JB Nagar police arrived at the scene to find Akanksha's body on the floor, with a blanket tied to the ceiling fan.

According to a senior officer, Arpith attempted to make it look like a suicide by smothering her and then hanging her from the ceiling fan, but his attempt failed.

The senior officer mentioned that it is unclear who initiated the breakup in their relationship, and more details will be revealed once Arpith is apprehended. Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), Bheemashankar S Guled, said that special teams have been formed to apprehend the suspect.

Accused's belongings recovered

The police have seized his belongings, including a bag, his mobile phone, and a wallet which contained his Aadhar card. His phone will be analysed as part of the investigation.

JB Nagar police contacted Arpith's manager and discovered that he had left the office on Sunday evening and traveled to Bengaluru. He met Akanksha on Monday, having taken only a one-day leave and intending to return to work on Tuesday.

Akanksha's parents informed the police that they were unaware of their daughter's relationship with the accused. After an autopsy at Sir CV Raman General Hospital, the body was handed over to the family.

Additionally, the police uncovered that Arpith had visited Akanksha last week too.