Bengaluru woman killed husband with lover, strangled son who witnessed crime: Police

Bengaluru: A 26-year-old Bengaluru woman has been arrested over the deaths of her husband and four-year-old son, with police investigating whether the child was killed because he witnessed his father’s murder, the Times of India reported.

Police allege that Harini conspired with her suspected lover, Vinay, to kill her 35-year-old husband Abhinandan at their home in Chikkabanavara, northwest Bengaluru.

Investigators suspect the couple’s four-year-old son, Yaduveer, witnessed his father’s killing and was subsequently strangled because of fears that he could reveal what had happened.

The case came to light on Monday morning when Harini called the police control room at around 7am and reported that her husband and son were lying motionless on a bed.

Officers who arrived at the house found both dead.

Police suspect that after the killings, Abhinandan’s body was placed over his son’s in an apparent attempt to make investigators believe the father had killed the child before dying himself.

But investigators began questioning Harini’s version of events after noticing what they described as inconsistencies in her account and finding evidence at the house.

Blood stains were traced at the scene, while clothes allegedly bearing blood marks appeared to have been washed and put out to dry, according to the report.

Investigators also discovered that CCTV cameras at the house had been switched off after 10pm on Sunday.

Harini had allegedly deleted call records, messages and photographs from her mobile phone, police said.

Police allege that Harini called Vinay to the house at around 11pm on Sunday.

Vinay allegedly left after the killings, prompting police to launch a search for him. He was subsequently arrested, according to the Times of India.

Harini was questioned for nearly six hours and allegedly confessed to killing her husband and son, police said.

Investigators are now trying to reconstruct the precise sequence of events.

DCP N Nagesh said Harini and Abhinandan had been experiencing marital problems and frequently quarrelled.

Harini had reportedly left their home about three months earlier, leaving behind a letter. Their families kept the matter private in the hope that the couple would reconcile, according to investigators.

Police said their investigation also uncovered Harini’s alleged relationship with Vinay.

Investigators are also examining whether property provided a possible motive.

Abhinandan, the only son of his parents, reportedly owned assets worth crores of rupees, including a three-storey building in Chikkabanavara.

Police suspect Harini and Vinay may have believed they could gain control of the property following Abhinandan’s death. Investigators have not yet established the motive conclusively.

The bodies were sent for postmortem examination, with police awaiting the findings to establish the precise causes of death.

The investigation into the double killing is continuing.