A shocking development has unfolded six months after the tragic death of a 29-year-old Bengaluru-based dermatologist. Police in Matharahalli have arrested her husband, a general surgeon, from Udupi. He faces charges of murder, accused of injecting a potent anesthetic agent, typically reserved for operating theaters, into multiple organs of his wife in an attempt to disguise her death as natural causes.
However, the accused, identified as Mahendra Reddy, couldn’t escape the keen eye of justice. Rigorous investigations by the Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams, prompted by a complaint from the victim’s family, led police directly to him.
Reddy has been formally charged with murder and is currently in custody, where authorities are working to uncover the precise motive behind this heinous act.
The distressing incident dates back to April 21, when the victim, Kruthika Reddy, reportedly fell ill. Her husband transported her to a nearby hospital, where she was tragically pronounced dead on arrival. Given the circumstances and statements from family members, Marathahalli police initially opened a case of unnatural death.
Crucial evidence was meticulously collected by the SOCO, who visited the couple’s home. Items retrieved included a cannula set, an injection tube, and other medical paraphernalia. These were immediately submitted for forensic examination, alongside viscera samples sent to the FSL to pinpoint the exact cause of death. The subsequent FSL report was damning, confirming the presence of Propofol, a powerful anesthetic, in the victim’s organs, unequivocally pointing to a criminal act. Armed with this critical report, the victim’s father, K. Munireddy, officially lodged a murder complaint on October 13, accusing his son-in-law of using the anesthetic drug to kill his daughter.
The couple had married on May 26 of the previous year, both professionals working at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru.
In his complaint, Munireddy detailed a troubled marriage, alleging that his son-in-law had neglected his wife since their wedding. He further claimed that Reddy had administered drugs under the guise of treatment. The father-in-law asserted that his daughter’s husband began to neglect her after her family declined his request for a substantial sum of money to build a private hospital. Despite this, they later assisted him in establishing a clinic in Munnekolalla, where the couple had planned to start their private practice, according to police accounts.
Disturbingly, on April 24, the accused reportedly injected the drugs multiple times, supposedly to treat a gastric problem. Police noted that the victim repeatedly pleaded with him to remove the cannula, enduring immense pain.
Adding to the family’s suspicions, the accused allegedly refused to allow a postmortem examination, even after the victim’s family had filed a complaint with local police. “Despite being a doctor, he didn’t even perform CPR at home when he found my daughter unconscious and unresponsive to treatment,” Mr. Reddy emotionally stated.
The family’s own background checks allegedly uncovered a darker side to the accused, revealing not only pending criminal cases against his family but also that he was involved in an extramarital affair.