Ex-police chief's murder: Wife sole accused in charge sheet

Bengaluru: The wife of former Karnataka police chief Om Prakash has been named the sole accused in the charge sheet filed over his brutal murder last April. 

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has charged Pallavi, the 64-year-old wife of the former DG&IGP, after completing investigations into the sensational case. 

However, the name of Prakash’s daughter, Kriti, has been dropped from the charge sheet for lack of evidence, two senior police officers told DH. 

"The probe found that Kriti had no role in the murder. She was on a different floor of the house at the time," one senior officer said, quoting the charge sheet. 

According to investigators, Om Prakash and Pallavi argued during lunch on April 20, 2025, on the ground floor of their three-storey home in HSR Layout Sector 6, Southeast Bengaluru. 

Pallavi allegedly threw chilli powder on his face, blinding him, before stabbing him repeatedly. The autopsy revealed Prakash had multiple fatal stab wounds to his neck and torso. 

Investigators had found bloodstains all over the murder scene and a plate of food still on the table. 

The charge sheet cites a dispute over Om Prakash's properties, mostly in Uttara Kannada, and other personal issues between the couple as the motive. "No other motive was found," another senior officer said. 

The HSR Layout police launched murder investigations after Prakash’s son, Karthikesh, filed a complaint naming his mother and sister, who were both inside the house at the time. 

He had discovered his father in a pool of blood. He also alleged that his mother had threatened his father, which was among several instances of domestic violence. Prakash stayed at his sister’s home before returning two days before the murder. 

However, the probe found no evidence that Pallavi had subjected Prakash to domestic violence, the charge sheet noted. 

The CCB also could not substantiate that Kriti suffered from mental illness as she had previously claimed of being in therapy. Kriti was also briefly admitted to Nimhans for a mental evaluation during the investigation, an officer part of the probe said. 

The CCB submitted a 700-odd page charge sheet to a magistrate in Bengaluru on July 17, three days before the deadline. The rest of the evidence, as part of the charge sheet, was submitted in digital form, the officer added. 

The probe was conducted by the Women Protection Wing (WPW) of the CCB under the supervision of Srihari Babu BL, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime-1). 

Pallavi is currently in judicial custody. 

A native of Bihar's Champaran district, Prakash was a 1981-batch IPS officer. He became the Karnataka DG&IGP on February 28, 2015, and superannuated in January 2017.