Bengaluru: Ex-serviceman killed by wife, son over ‘strict’ rules

Bengaluru: A 47-year-old ex-serviceman was murdered, allegedly by his wife and son, in central Bengaluru’s Viveknagar on Sunday for setting strict rules at home, police said. 

The deceased has been identified as Bolu Arab, a retired serviceman hailing from Maharashtra. He took voluntary retirement in 2017 and settled in Viveknagar with his family. Police have arrested his wife, Tabassum, 36, and son, Sameer, 19. 

According to police, Sameer called the helpline around 1 am on Sunday and claimed that a gang of six entered their home and fatally assaulted his father. 

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), Shekhar H Tekkannavar, and the Viveknagar police inspector also rushed to the spot. 

An investigator said that the crime scene raised suspicion, prompting the police to grill the mother and son. Both of them have been arrested for murder. 

Investigations revealed that Sameer strangled Arab with his hands. The death was a result of the family’s prolonged suffering due to Arab’s strictness at home. 

According to police, Arab scolded Sameer for meeting his friends on Saturday evening and reprimanded his wife over Sameer’s behaviour. The mother and son, tired of Arab’s anger over petty issues, plotted his murder, police said. 

“The son bought sleeping pills and laced Arab’s dinner with those pills. Around 1 am, when Arab was in deep sleep, the son and mother tried to smother him with a pillow,” an investigator told DH. 

However, Arab gained consciousness, overpowered his son, and fought with him for 10 minutes. But the pills’ effect lingered, causing him to fall. Sameer then strangled his father, according to the police. 

Sameer told police that his father had set strict rules at home and suspected everything. He never let him meet anyone outside the house and scolded his wife for every small issue at home. 

The couple had been married for the last 22 years. Arab was from Maharashtra and Tabassum from Hyderabad. Sameer is a first-year degree student.