Shreemathi Shetty was all set for 4th wedding

Shreemathi Shetty, a victim of brutal dismemberment, was all set for her fourth wedding, planned for May 19.

Senior police officials said Shreemathi (35) was previously married to Mahabala, Sudeep Shetty and Rajendra.

“She was preparing for her fourth wedding and her house was being repainted for this purpose,” informed her neighbours on Amar Alva Road near Mangaladevi Temple. “We had all attended her second wedding. She mostly kept to herself, and did not interact much with us. But when we heard about her fourth wedding, we were taken aback,” the neighbours added.

Her third husband Rajendra told DH that they had a live-in relationship for about two years. They got married in May 2018 and were separated after two months. Shreemathi moved an application seeking divorce a month ago. The application is still pending in the family court, he said.

“I just received information about her new wedding. I was told that the groom was a well to-do man from Marakada,” Rajendra informed.

Shreemathi was into chit fund business from the age of 16 years and ran an electrical wiring shop near Attavar. She had a reputation of being rash and short-tempered when it came to collecting debts, Rajendra recollected. He also suspected the involvement of one of her husbands as she used to receive multiple threats from him in the past few years.

A neighbour said Shreemathi was a strong and independent woman. “To make a living, as a single woman, takes courage. People now tend to look at it in bad light,” he rued.

‘Fear to lend’

Rekha, who owns a shop on Amar Alva Road, said the gruesome murder has left them pondering whether they should help others at all. “We all lend money to people we know in times of need. If generous acts like these lead to murders, we will never be able to trust each other,” she rued.

Shreemathi Shetty’s third husband Rajendra said he knew Johanas, who was arrested for allegedly murdering Shreemathi and dismembering her corpse before disposing it at three different places.

“Johanas was notorious. I visited him a couple of times to collect daily repayments, and I knew he was capable of causing pain. But a murder was truly shocking,” he added.

Sahana S Kashyap