Man kills estranged wife's parents as she refuses to return to him

Angered by his estranged wife’s refusal to return to him, a man fatally stabbed her elderly parents on Friday night, police said.

Senthil Kumar (35), a native of Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu, had arrived in Bengaluru to take his wife, Sathyavathi (30), back home. His in-laws hail from Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, and have been living in Bengaluru.

Senthil and Sathyavathi, both working at a garment factory in Tirupattur, got married three years ago after dating for sometime and have a son. The marriage hit rough weather as the couple started quarrelling frequently.

Four months ago, Sathyavathi deserted Senthil and left his home to live with her parents. But he kept trying to bring her back. He often pleaded with her parents — Kumar (60) and Murugamma (55) — but they didn’t relent.

Around 8.30 pm on Friday, Senthil arrived at his in-laws’ house at Konanakunte, south Bengaluru, and asked his wife to come back to him. Sathyavathi and her parents ignored his demand and asked him to get out of the house. He didn’t take it lying down and picked a fight with them. He took out a knife he had carried along and pounced on all of them.

Sathyavathi raised an alarm and tried to keep him at bay. But he pinned her and stabbed her. He also knifed her parents who died later. Manjunath (34), a neighbour, heard the commotion and rushed into the house. He tried to stop Senthil but was overpowered and ended up being stabbed, too. Senthil then darted out of the house and fled.

Speaking to DH, DCP (South) Sharanappa S D said the jurisdictional Annapoorneshwari Nagar police had registered a case and were hunting for Senthil.