Bengaluru: Woman who stepped out to retrieve forgotten phone found strangled to death

A 30-year-old housekeeper, was found dead in Siddapura, Bengaluru, with early indications pointing to strangulation.

A 30-year-old woman was reportedly found dead near a farmland in Siddapura, Bengaluru close to Whitefield, on Wednesday, with early findings suggesting that she was strangled.

Bengaluru police are investigating her disappearance after she left home to retrieve a forgotten phone. (PTI)

The victim, identified as Sonali Khatun, lived in Siddapura and hailed from Murshidabad. She worked as a housekeeper with a private facility management company in Brookefield. Her husband, Babu Shek, 33, is a construction worker. The family had moved to Bengaluru around a year ago in search of employment, reported The Times of India.

The couple lived with their two children, a 14-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter, along with Sonali’s 60-year-old mother, Sayra. According to the police complaint filed by the husband, both Sonali and Babu would leave for work in the morning and usually return home in the evening. On some days, Sonali would come home briefly during lunch hours, stated the report.

Babu told police that on Tuesday evening at around 7:30 pm, Sonali returned home and mentioned that she had forgotten her mobile phone at her workplace. She took her husband’s phone and left the house to retrieve it, but did not return.

Later, when family members tried to contact her using another phone, Babu’s handset rang once before being switched off. Sonali’s own phone was also unreachable. Although the family searched for her through the night, no police complaint was filed at that time.

On Wednesday, Sonali’s body was discovered near an agricultural field. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield) Saidulu Adavath said the family became aware of her death only after personnel from Varthur police visited their home while tracing her address. He said initial examination indicated death by strangulation, though the exact cause would be confirmed after a post-mortem, the report noted.

Police have registered a murder case based on the family’s complaint. Senior officers said it is not yet clear whether Sonali met someone she knew before her death or whether there was any sexual assault. Apart from strangulation marks, no other visible injuries were found on the body.

Investigators are scanning CCTV footage from nearby buildings in Siddapura to identify suspects. While Sonali’s phone remains switched off, her husband’s phone is missing. Police have also visited her workplace to confirm whether she had left her phone there and are continuing efforts to trace both devices.