Thimme gowda hails from Kokkarebellur near Maddur while his wife is from Maddur. According to neighbours, they were a loving couple.

Thimme Gowda, a cab driver, would drop Swathi to her workplace, a garment factory every day on his bicycle.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the couple had gone to their hometown to celebrate Ugadi. Gowda took part in the ritual gambling on the festive occasion and lost Rs 20,000.

On returning to Bangalore, Swathi berated him about his adventure. The two argued, and upset about Gowda’s attitude, Swathi hanged herself in the morning. Unable to face the consequence, Gowda followed suit, police said.

Two held for theft

The Central Crime Branch police arrested two men in connection with the theft at a jewellery shop in Mahadevapura recently and recovered 4.5 kg silver ornaments and 238 gm gold ornaments worth Rs eight lakh.

The suspects were identified as Byraju (28) from Aralimaradadoddi, Kanakapura taluk in Ramanagar district and Ravi Kumar (23) Dananayakanahalli in Hassan district.

The two men dug a hole in a drainage near Bhavani Bankers and Jewellers in Garudacharpalya last week to gain entry into the shop. They collected the ornaments and fled.

Byraju and his associate had allegedly murdered the security guard of Sri Ram Darshan Hotel in Kalasipalyam in 2003. He had taken to robbery after the murder. Commercial Street police arrested him in a theft case. When questioned, he admitted to having committed  thefts at six places in the City.

Serving a jail term, Byraju had taken to robbery again and had Ravi Kumar to join him in striking at Bhavani Bankers and Jewellers, police said.