Bengaluru Police have arrested an 18-year-old man on charges of murder, a week after a 34-year-old woman software engineer was found dead in her rented house in the eastern part of the city.
The incident occurred on the night of January 3 at Subramanya Layout, within the limits of the Ramamurthy Nagar police station. The victim, who hailed from Dakshina Kannada district, was initially believed to have died from smoke suffocation after a fire broke out in her two-bedroom flat, allegedly due to a short circuit.
However, a detailed police investigation later revealed that the death was the result of a cold-blooded murder. The accused has been identified as Karnal Kurai, a native of Kodagu district, who allegedly killed the woman after she resisted his sexual advances.
Police launched the investigation following a complaint filed by the victim’s friend and flatmate, who was away in her hometown at the time of the incident.
The investigation revealed that Kurai, who lived next door with his mother, allegedly entered the victim’s flat through a side window at around 9 pm on January 3 and demanded that she cooperate to his sexual advances. When she resisted, he allegedly held her mouth and nose tightly, causing her to lose consciousness. The victim sustained minor injuries and was bleeding, police said.
In an attempt to destroy evidence, the accused allegedly gathered the victim’s clothes and other belongings, placed them on the bed and set them on fire. He then fled the scene after taking the victim’s mobile phone.
A local court has remanded Kurai to police custody for three days. He has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 103(1) (murder), 64(2), 66, and 238 (destruction of evidence).
