A 26-year-old former marketing executive in Bengaluru has been arrested by the Kumbalagudu police for brutally killing his girlfriend’s seven-year-old daughter, allegedly because she was “interrupting” his private time with her mother.
The accused, identified as Darshan Kumar Yadav, was tracked down and arrested on Monday evening near Tumakuru Road after being on the run for a day. The victim, Siri S, was a Class 2 student at a government school in Ramasandra village near Kengeri. She lived with her mother, Shilpa S K, and her foster mother, as per a report by The Times of India (TOI).
Police said Darshan, who earlier worked with a paints company, was in a relationship with Shilpa, a business development officer at a private firm. Shilpa had separated from her husband, Balaji, and was raising Siri on her own.
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After the death of Shilpa’s foster mother in August, Darshan allegedly began insisting that Siri be sent to a hostel, claiming that the child was getting in the way of their relationship. When Shilpa refused, he often picked fights with her, assaulted her and even threatened to harm both mother and daughter.
{{/usCountry}}After the death of Shilpa’s foster mother in August, Darshan allegedly began insisting that Siri be sent to a hostel, claiming that the child was getting in the way of their relationship. When Shilpa refused, he often picked fights with her, assaulted her and even threatened to harm both mother and daughter.
{{/usCountry}}On October 23, Darshan stayed overnight at Shilpa’s house. The next morning, after she left for work, he took Siri to his own residence. Later in the evening, he called Shilpa, demanding she return home immediately. Shilpa reportedly heard her daughter crying over the phone and rushed back around 6.30 pm.
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When she reached, Darshan allegedly attacked her and locked her inside a room. After managing to break free, Shilpa found Siri lying motionless in a pool of blood.
Investigations revealed that Darshan had slammed the child’s head on the floor several times before smothering her to death. In his confession, he told police that he considered Shilpa his wife, though she described herself as his girlfriend in her complaint.
Officers also said Darshan had a pattern of befriending several women through Instagram and getting into toxic relationships.