50% of murders in Bengaluru in 2022 were due to domestic issues: Study
Even as the total number of murders reported in Karnataka capital Bengaluru might be on the decline, data acquired from the police department shows that nearly 50% of the murders are due to domestic issues.
Even as the total number of murders reported in Karnataka capital Bengaluru might be on the decline this year, data acquired from the police department shows that nearly 50% of the murders are due to domestic issues.
A report published on the Deccan Herald said that this change in pattern is worrying police officers. The total murder count for the city stands at 49 as of Friday, i.e., May 13, of which 23 are related to domestic issues.
These domestic issues include suspicion of infidelity, extramarital affairs, financial issues and incompatibility among couples. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant told the media that the worrying factor is that the offenders in these cases are not habitual criminals, but common people who commit crimes due to loss of tempers and in a fit of rage. Most murders in these cases seem to be due to a sudden impulse and not pre-meditated.
The data also showed that illicit relationships caused six murders so far this year, while close relatives of either the accused or the victim played a role in role in six cases too. Of the 23 murders related to domestic disputes, reports said the husband’s involvement has been confirmed in 10 cases, while the wife’s involvement was ascertained in one case.
The murder cases in Bengaluru seem to be diminishing, as there were 205 murders in 2019, 177 murders in 2020, and 155 murders in 2021. Among two murders that happened last week, a 35-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly strangled his wife to death after a heated argument broke out between them when she confronted him about his alleged affair.
Meanwhile, Yeshwanthpur Police in Bengaluru arrested a woman last Saturday who allegedly murdered her husband and then cooked up an elaborate robbery story so she could live with her boyfriend.
Among April's murders, a man who was addicted to watching porn, killed his wife by stabbing her multiple times in front of their kids in Ramanagar, suspecting her to have acted in a porn movie. While, a 48-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly murdering her husband with repeated blows to his head with an iron rod, after a late-night fight.
One woman in March from Belagavi was even found to have paid Rs. 10 lakh to her husband's associates and plotted his murder with them and was arrested later.
Bengaluru police chief Pant told reporters that many domestic disputes among couples in Bengaluru are not solved amicably and the reasons for murders are found to be based on trivial issues. This shows the fragility and shallowness of the relationships in Bengaluru.
Pant added that financial crises and joblessness during the pandemic have also been factors that push already bad tempers to worse, causing some couples to go all out and reveal their violent sides due to frustrations. “Money gives security and peace, but the lack of it leads to bitterness and toxicity which manifest in a violent fashion. The lack of a strong bond and lack of trust in relationships have forced partners to seek comfort and love elsewhere,” he told Deccan Herald.