Bengaluru: Two weeks after a highly decomposed body of a woman was found stuffed inside a suitcase afloat in a pond at Kengal Hekkalakatte village near Nelamangala, Dabaspet police found she was allegedly murdered by her husband on June 10. Reason: He was angry with her for not cooking dinner for him and disliked her using mobile phone.
Police arrested Ramu, 35, a resident of Vighneshwarnagar near Sunkadakatte, for the murder of his wife, Manjula, 31. Ramu, a painter, was Manjula’s second husband. Ramu’s friend Basavanagouda, 38, a resident of Haveri, too has been arrested for helping him dispose of the body.
According to police, on June 10 night, Ramu watched a Kannada movie in a theatre and returned home after consuming alcohol. He noticed Manjula disconnect a call soon after his arrival and found that she hadn’t prepared dinner. A heated argument ensued between the two and Ramu assaulted her. Ramu banged Manjula’s head against a dining table, following which she collapsed on the floor. Ramu left Manjula in the hall and went to sleep. He woke up the next morning only to find her dead. Ramu decided to dispose of the body elsewhere. He took a big suitcase and packed the body in it. He tied Manjula’s legs and hands with a dupatta.
Friend rode 340km
According to police, Ramu called his friend Basavanagouda, who was in his hometown, Haveri, around 340km from Bengaluru.
At 10pm on June 11, Basavanagouda left Haveri on his bike and reached Ramu’s house by 3am. The duo took the suitcase, in which Manjula’s body was stuffed, and rushed towards Dabaspet near Nelamangala. Ramu chose the pond at Kengal Hekkalakatte, which was near his village, Bagalahalli, to dump the body.
The accused left the place after throwing the suitcase into the water. Ramu then visited his village before returning to Bengaluru. But the suitcase soon surfaced and around 8am on June 14, Arun Kumar, a passerby, noticed it and alerted Dabaspet police.
Kumar, who filed a complaint, told police that he was on the way to Dabaspet on his bike, when he spotted the blue suitcase at the edge of the pond. He noticed flies around the bag, and a foul smell emanating from it. Police rushed to the spot and discovered a highly decomposed body in it.
In the initial days, police were clueless. Superintendent of police (Bengaluru district) K Vamsikrishna formed three teams headed by additional superintendent of police Lakshmi Ganesh K, DSP KC Gautham and inspector Rajiv A to crack the case.
Police learnt that Ramu was at his village with a friend a few days before Manjula’s body was found and had looked worried. Cops collected more information about him and picked him up for questioning. Ramu confessed to his crime. On Thursday, police arrested him and Basavanagouda.
