A 27-year-old woman was allegedly strangled to death by her in-laws in Belagavi district of Karnataka, who then tied her to a motorcycle and dragged her about 120 feet to stage the death as an accident.
Victim Identified; Husband Had Married Again
Police said the deceased woman, identified as Renuka, was unable to conceive. Following this, her husband, Santosh Honakande a software engineer married another woman, who is currently pregnant.
Despite being asked to leave, Renuka continued to live in the same house. This reportedly triggered tension within the household. Her husband and in-laws then allegedly conspired to kill her.
Police said Santosh, along with his father Kamanna and mother Jayashree, have all been arrested in connection with the murder.
SP Calls it a “Ghastly Incident”
Belagavi SP Bheemashankar Guled termed the case as a “ghastly incident” and said the police initially received a call from the father-in-law that Renuka had met with a road accident.
Kamanna informed the police that he was driving a motorcycle, with his wife Jayashree as the first pillion rider and Renuka as the second.
When police arrived at the scene, they were suspicious and took Renuka’s body to a hospital. They opened an investigation early Sunday morning and summoned Kamanna for questioning.
Confession During Interrogation in Belagavi
“During interrogation, Kamanna failed to give logical answers, raising suspicions. Eventually, he confessed to strangling Renuka,” Guled said.
Describing how events unfolded, the police officer stated that Renuka went to a temple on Saturday night. Her in-laws later picked her up on a motorcycle.
They traveled a short distance before allegedly pushing her off the bike. When she survived the fall, they strangulated her.
Attempt to Stage Accident in Belagavi
“They then tied her to the motorcycle using her saree and dragged her for about 120 feet to stage it as an accident,” Guled said.
Within six hours, the police said it was a murder. All three accused—the husband, father-in-law, and mother-in-law have been arrested and sent to judicial custody.
The husband was also said to be involved in the conspiracy, said the SP, adding that there were also reports of dowry demands.
