‘Dead’ woman appears in Mysuru court, two years after husband jailed for her ‘murder’: Report

The court has directed Bettadapura police to submit a comprehensive report by April 17 to determine who the deceased woman actually was.

In a bizarre twist straight out of a crime thriller, a woman presumed dead for over two years, allegedly murdered by her husband, walked into a Mysuru court on Thursday, leaving the courtroom stunned.

The woman, identified as Mallige, had gone missing from Kushalnagar in 2020.(Representational image)

According to a report by Deccan Herald, the woman, identified as Mallige, had gone missing from Kushalnagar in 2020. Her husband, Suresh, was arrested and jailed after police claimed that a female skeleton found in Bettadapura, Periyapatna taluk, was hers.

Investigators concluded that Suresh had murdered his wife and disposed of the body, and a chargesheet was filed based on this claim. Suresh has been behind bars ever since, the report added.

But on April 1 this year, Suresh’s lawyer, advocate Pandu Poojari, stumbled upon a video clip reportedly showing Mallige alive and in the company of another man. He brought it to the court’s attention, prompting the court to summon her.

Following a police search, Mallige was produced in court on Thursday, putting the entire case under a cloud. The dramatic appearance has now raised critical doubts about the identity of the skeletal remains that were believed to be hers.

The court has directed Bettadapura police to submit a comprehensive report by April 17 to determine who the deceased woman actually was.

According to Deccan Herald, the case is likely to trigger a re-investigation into how the police misidentified the skeleton and whether due process was followed.