Bengaluru woman killed in front of bedridden husband; accused arrested in five hours

Bengaluru: The Nelamangala Town police arrested a 45-year-old provision store owner within five hours of a woman being murdered in front of her wheelchair-bound husband at Pete Beedi on Wednesday.

Police said mounting medical expenses and business losses allegedly drove the accused to commit the crime.

The deceased, Shobha (60), was living with her husband Ranganath, 68, who has been bedridden for the last 12 years after suffering a brain stroke. The couple had no children, and Shobha was the sole caregiver.

The accused, Shivakumar, ran a provision store in the locality and was also involved in a small-scale real estate business. He lived opposite the victim's house.

A senior police officer said that Shivakumar had spent a substantial sum on his mother’s medical treatment and had suffered financial setbacks in his business. Struggling to repay debts and desperate to make quick money, he allegedly planned a robbery.

On Wednesday around 4 pm, Shivakumar allegedly entered the house through an open door while the couple was sleeping. Shobha reportedly woke up, noticed him, and grew suspicious.

Fearing she would identify him and alert others, Shivakumar allegedly attacked her with a knife and slit her throat in front of her bedridden husband.

Despite her attempts to resist, she collapsed and died on the spot. The accused then snatched her gold chain and other ornaments worth Rs 8 lakh and fled.

The crime came to light when the physiotherapist arrived to treat Ranganath in the evening and found Shobha in a pool of blood. The Nelamangala Town police were alerted.

A senior police officer said special teams were formed and CCTV footage from the area was analysed.

"Based on technical evidence and local intelligence, we secured the accused, Shivakumar, within five hours of the incident and recovered the booty. During interrogation, he confessed that financial losses and medical expenses pushed him to commit the offence. He had known the family for 15 years as Shobha regularly visited his provision store and knew the family background,” the officer said.