Three people have been arrested for the murder of a 40-year-old man who was found dead inside a rented house in Bengaluru’s Manjunath Nagar, police said on Monday.
The body of Mohan Rao was discovered about three days before the arrests were announced, within the jurisdiction of the Bagalagunte police station.
The accused were identified as Urmila, also known as Bindu, Vinay and Dhanush Gowda, said deputy commissioner of police (north west), DL Nagesh.
“All three have already been arrested and taken into custody, and the investigation is being continued,” he said.
He added that murder came to light nearly 12 days after the fact, when neighbours detected a foul smell coming from the house and called the police. Officers who examined the scene said he sustained multiple stab wounds and showed signs of suffocation. A murder case was registered, and an inquiry began.
According to the police, Mohan Rao and Bindu had rented the Manjunath Nagar house two to three months ago, telling the landlord they were a couple, though they were not legally married. Mohan had left his wife and had been living separately for some time. Bindu, too, was previously married and estranged from her husband. The two had been staying together in the rented house.
Investigators said that during this period, Bindu became close to Vinay, a lorry driver. The two allegedly decided to marry. Police believe Mohan Rao opposed the relationship and insisted that Bindu continue living with him, which they said became the motive for the killing.
“Bindu developed a close friendship with Vinay, and they decided to get married. In this context, it is learned that Mohan Rao was an obstacle to their marriage and was forcing the lady to stay with him. To teach him a lesson and get him out of the way, these three together committed this crime,” DCP Nagesh said.
Police said the crime took place inside the same house where the body was later found.
On the night of the incident, the accused allegedly made Mohan consume alcohol, they added. Once he was heavily intoxicated, he was stabbed several times, investigators said, and later suffocated with a plastic cover placed over his face.
“The crime scene is the same house in Manjunath Nagar where the body was found. On that night, they made him drink, then stabbed him with a knife and suffocated him with a plastic cover over his face,” the DCP said.
Police said Dhanush Gowda, who works at a non-vegetarian hotel and is known to the accused, was called to assist in carrying out the crime.
Mohan Rao was engaged in pigmy collection and small business activities, according to investigators involved in the probe.
Bindu has claimed to have acted in minor roles in videos or films, including “Bhajarangi” and “Police Quarters,” police said, adding that those claims are yet to be verified.
Authorities said further interrogation of the accused is under way as they seek to gather additional evidence and piece together the sequence of events leading to the killing.
