A charred body and a bangle: Bengaluru broker held for murdering woman

Suresh S was arrested from Bengaluru, where he stayed with his wife and children. Shantamma's phone was allegedly found in his possession. (Image enhanced using AI)

A 45-year-old Bengaluru real estate broker was arrested for allegedly murdering a woman whose charred body was found in the Bachwar forest area of Karnataka’s Yadgir district on September 24, the police said on Thursday.

Suresh S, who is married and has four children, was arrested from Bengaluru after the police identified the victim as Shantamma, a 44-year-old resident of Nalwar village in Kalaburagi district, with the help of a bangle recovered from the crime scene.

According to the Yadgir police, Suresh, who lived in a rented house in Kumbharagundi, and Shantamma, a widow who earned her livelihood by travelling to fairs and other events carrying the idol of a deity and seeking alms, knew each other for around four years and were in a relationship.

Shantamma’s son, Devendra, identified the bangle as belonging to his mother, helping the police establish her identity.

Body found, call records provide a clue

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Pruthvik Shankar, Superintendent of Police, Yadgir, said forest officials alerted the police after discovering the body. The Yadgir Rural police visited the spot, collected evidence and launched an investigation.

The police registered a murder case on September 24 and checked missing-person complaints. They subsequently found a complaint filed at Wadi police station in Kalaburagi district regarding Shantamma’s disappearance.

Investigators showed her family the bangle and Devendra identified it as belonging to her. The police then examined her mobile phone call records and found that she had been in regular contact with Suresh over the past one-and-a-half years, with around 500 calls exchanged between them, police said. This led investigators to identify him as a suspect.

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Devendra also told the police that he had last seen Suresh at their house on September 19, a day before the alleged murder.

A 1 lakh loan, a marriage proposal

According to the police, Shantamma, whose husband had died several years ago, lived with her son and mother-in-law. Investigators suspect that a financial dispute and Shantamma’s insistence on marriage led to the murder. According to the police, she had lent Suresh around Rs 1 lakh about three months before the incident and had been asking him to return the money and marry her.

On September 20, Suresh allegedly took Shantamma on his motorcycle to Jalalpur near the Karnataka-Telangana border, before taking her to the Bachwar forest area, around 20 km from the Yadgir Rural police station. The two allegedly consumed alcohol.

Police suspect that after Shantamma lost consciousness, Suresh strangled her and used petrol from his motorcycle to set her body on fire. The body was only partially burnt, with her hands and legs remaining unburnt, the police said.

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Accused traced to Bengaluru

After identifying Suresh as a suspect, the police traced him to Bengaluru, where he was staying with his wife and children, and arrested him. His mobile phone was switched off, and Shantamma’s mobile phone was allegedly recovered from his possession, the police said.

“The accused took the gold ornaments the woman was wearing and sold them with an associate in Yadgir before fleeing to Bengaluru. We are investigating where and when the ornaments were sold and are examining CCTV footage. The woman’s mobile phone was also recovered from his possession,” SP Shankar said.

Suresh was produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody. The Yadgir Rural police are continuing their investigation.