The road accident in Ramanagara saw a series of twists and turns before it turned out to be a murder.
The killing of 22-year-old Sowmya in RR Nagar, West Bengaluru, on Tuesday night would have remained under wraps if not for a series of coincidences.
Sowmya, a native of Tamil Nadu, was murdered at a house in Durga Parameshwari Nagar, RR Nagar, around 8 pm on Tuesday, according to police. Over four hours later, police found her body while it was being taken on a scooter by two men for discreet disposal. The scooter met with an accident in front of the Ramanagara prison on Mysuru Road around 12.20 am on Wednesday.
Police initially thought the woman had died in the accident but doctors concluded that she was hit on the head with a blunt metal object and had died over four hours earlier.
The men carrying the body were Nagaraj, 18, and Vinod, 23. Nagaraj is the brother of Durga, 22, who ran a brothel at her house in Durga Parameshwari Nagar. Sowmya worked in the brothel. Vinod is Nagaraj’s friend.
Sowmya’s sister and Durga got to know each other while being lodged in a state girls’ home. They later stayed together in the prison after being arrested in separate cases. After some time, Durga came out of prison. She took care of Sowmya because the latter had no one to fall back on. Sowmya’s father had died while her mother was deaf and dumb.
Durga gave Sowmya shelter and also provided for her. For the outside world, both Durga and Sowmya worked in a choultry. In reality, Durga ran a brothel at her home. Sowmya joined her.
Financial dispute
But all was not well between the two women. They had a financial dispute. On Tuesday, Durga and her husband Raghu accused Sowmya of stealing gold jewellery. Sowmya ran away from the brothel but was brought back and assaulted, leading to her death.
Durga and Raghu asked Nagaraj to carry the body on the scooter and dispose it. The couple hopped on another bike, following Nagaraj and Vinod as they set out to dump the body.
After doctors told the police that the woman had died much earlier, Vinod refused to talk. He pretended to throw up because of the injuries he had suffered in the accident. Nagaraj was also tight-lipped about his sister and brother-in-law.
But police got a clue after the duo told them they were from RR Nagar.
Police brought them to Bengaluru in the early hours of Wednesday. It was only then that Nagaraj told the police about Durga and Raghu.
A police team headed by B S Mohan Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Ramanagara), eventually traced the couple to Menasiganahalli village near Channapatna.
K Santosh Babu, Superintendent of Police, Ramanagara, said Soumya and Durga claimed to be working in a choultry but were engaged in the flesh trade.
Police have kept Sowmya’s body at the Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital and informed her relatives in Tamil Nadu. The post-mortem will be done once they arrive in Bengaluru.