E-Paper
Bengaluru: Man strangles live-in partner to death after argument
The accused has been identified as Kakera Yashwanth Ayyappa (29), a native of T. Shettigeri village near Ponnampet.
Bengaluru: A 23 year-old woman from Kodagu district was allegedly strangled to death by her live-in partner following a heated argument at their rented house in the eastern part of the city late Friday night. Police have arrested the accused and registered a murder case.
The accused has been identified as Kakera Yashwanth Ayyappa (29), a native of T. Shettigeri village near Ponnampet. The victim, Ranjitha (23), was from Bolluru village in the same region. According to police, the couple had been living together in a rented single-bedroom house near Kodathi for the past two months.
Ayyappa was working as a supervisor at a dry fruits shop in Bengaluru, while Ranjitha had recently secured a job as a salesgirl at DMart. Investigations revealed that the accused was married earlier but had separated from his wife.
Police said Ranjitha was reportedly pressuring Ayyappa to marry her soon, but he kept postponing the decision, stating that he needed to first obtain a divorce from his first wife.
According to investigators, the argument escalated around 12.30 am on Thursday night. During the quarrel, Ayyappa allegedly picked up a piece of electric wire lying in the house and tightened it around Ranjitha's neck. Within minutes, she died of suffocation.
In an attempt to cover up the crime, Ayyappa later approached the house owner, Gopal, around 2 am claiming that his wife had collapsed due to low blood pressure and needed to be rushed to hospital.
Ranjitha was taken to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. The hospital authorities later informed police from Varthur police station. During initial questioning, Ayyappa continued to maintain that the woman had fainted due to health issues. However, the police noticed clear marks on the victim's neck and grew suspicious.
Whitefield DCP Saidulu Adavath said the injuries indicated foul play. "During preliminary examination, doctors noticed marks on the neck suggesting strangulation. Based on medical opinion and visible injuries, we arrested the accused for questioning," he said.
The body was later sent to Vydehi Hospital for post-mortem examination, which confirmed that the death was caused due to asphyxiation.
"After sustained interrogation, the accused confessed that he strangled the woman following an argument over marriage. A case of murder has been registered at Varthur police station and the accused has been remanded to judicial custody," the DCP added.
