The Kamakshipalya police on Thursday announced they had cracked the murder of Sujatha, the mother of two who was suffocated to death on Tuesday and the home stripped of gold and some cash in KHB Colony off Magadi Main Road.
The police said they had arrested a family acquaintance, a mechanic, suspected to have murdered her when she was alone, with the intention of robbery.
The case was helped by the fact that there were snacks and teacups on the table. Information gathered from neighbours helped the police zero in on V. Krishna Murthy (33), who runs Balaji Motor Garage in Basaveshwarnagar. He used to repair Sujatha’s husband Murugananda’s bike.
Rs. 12 lakh loss
The police said Murthy had incurred a Rs. 12 lakh loss after trying his luck in the fish business. As he had to repay his creditors, he hatched a plan to steal from the Murugananda household as he had seen Sujatha wearing a lot of gold during festive occasions.
On Tuesday, the police said, after ensuring Sujatha was alone at home, he knocked and was let in. During interrogation, he claimed he had no intention to murder her and just wanted to steal the valuables. He said he had wanted just to gag her and had covered her mouth with a duct tape. But Sujatha could not breathe and suffocated to death.
Loot seized
After the murder, Murthy hid in his girlfriend’s house from where he was arrested on Wednesday evening. The police recovered Rs. 35,000 in cash, 600 gm of gold ornaments and 2 kg silver articles from him.
City Police Commissioner B.G. Jyothi Prakash Mirji advised citizens, especially women, not to entertain casual visitors, even if they are known to them, while they are alone at home. He also advised the public to keep their gold in bank lockers.
