Bengaluru doctor arrested for overdosing, killing wife using anaesthesia

A Bengaluru-based surgeon was arrested for his doctor wife's murder after forensic evidence revealed anaesthetic overdose.

A 32-year-old general surgeon from Victoria Hospital has been arrested six months after allegedly killing his wife, also a doctor, by administering a fatal dose of anaesthesia and passing it off as a natural death. Police said the arrest of Dr. Mahendra Reddy followed forensic confirmation that his wife, Dr. Kruthika Reddy, died from respiratory failure caused by anaesthetic substances.

A Bengaluru-based doctor has been accused of murdering his wife with anaesthetic in pre-meditated attack.(Unsplash/Representational)

The couple had married on May 26, 2024, but investigators said their relationship quickly deteriorated. “Dr. Mahendra had planned his wife’s murder meticulously,” said Whitefield DCP M. Parashuram. “He knew her medical vulnerabilities and used his professional knowledge to exploit them. The evidence shows deliberate and precise use of anaesthetic drugs.”

Police said Mahendra had become upset after learning that his wife suffered from long-standing gastric and metabolic disorders -- information her family had allegedly withheld before the marriage.

Kruthika was staying at her father’s home in Marathahalli when she reportedly fell unconscious due to illness and fatigue. During that period, Mahendra visited her under the pretext of offering medical care and allegedly administered IV injections containing anaesthetic agents over two days. On April 23, 2025, she lost consciousness again and was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared her “brought dead,” the DCP said.

At first, her family accepted the explanation that she had died naturally, and police filed an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) based on the hospital memo. But six months later, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) detected traces of anaesthesia in her body. Investigators concluded that respiratory failure caused by anaesthetic overdose had led to her death, prompting police to reclassify the case as murder and arrest Mahendra on October 14, 2025.

“This case is a reminder of how professional expertise can be misused,” DCP Parashuram said. “The injection was administered with clinical precision. He had easy access to controlled drugs, and the forensic findings leave little room for doubt.”

Kruthika’s father, Muni Reddy, who filed the complaint, said his daughter’s trust in her husband proved fatal. “Our daughter believed her marriage was built on respect and love,” he said. “But the same medical knowledge that should have healed others was used to end her life. She dedicated herself to helping people. Justice for Kruthika is justice for every woman who trusts and loves with honesty.”

Investigators said Mahendra maintained composure during questioning and continued to claim innocence despite the mounting evidence.

Dr. Kruthika, a well-regarded dermatologist, had completed her MBBS from Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences, her MD from Navodaya Medical College, Raichur, and later earned a DNB in Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy from NBEMS. She had planned to launch her own clinic, Skin & Scalpel, in Bengaluru on May 4, 2025, just days after her death.

Her colleagues at Victoria Hospital described her as dedicated and compassionate. “She always spoke about empowering women through dermatology,” said one colleague. “It’s devastating that her own husband betrayed that trust.”

Mahendra has been booked under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He remains in police custody while investigators trace the source of the anaesthetic drugs and reconstruct the events leading to the crime.