A 29-year-old woman was murdered in Yellapur taluk of Uttara Kannada district on Saturday, police said. The prime accused was found dead the next day in what is suspected to be a case of suicide.
Police said the body of the accused, a 30-year-old resident of Kalammanagar in Yellapur who had been absconding since the killing, was found hanging from a tree in the Ramapur forest area on Sunday morning.
Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police Deepan N said the sequence of events had been established during the investigation. A complaint was filed on Saturday by the victim’s sister, Akshatha Mallappa Banasode. The victim, Ranjitha Bhanasode, was married around 12 years ago and has a 10-year-old son. Owing to marital disputes, she had been living separately for four to five years and was later divorced.
Ranjitha worked as a kitchen helper at Rampur Government School and was acquainted with the accused from her school days. Police said he was her former classmate and frequently visited her house. The two were in regular contact over the phone. However, after he proposed marriage and she refused, Ranjitha stopped communicating with him.
Police said the rejection allegedly led to anger and resentment. On Saturday afternoon, while Ranjitha was returning home from work, the accused allegedly waylaid her and slit her throat with a sharp weapon.
She was rushed to a local hospital and later shifted to KIMS Hospital in Hubballi for advanced treatment, but succumbed to her injuries.
The accused was booked under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for murder on Saturday. Following his death, police have registered an Unnatural Death Report.
The killing triggered protests in Yellapur, with several Hindutva organisations alleging a breakdown of law and order. Sri Rama Sena founder Pramod Muthalik condemned the incident, calling it a brutal killing and demanding strict action. A bandh was observed in Yellapur on Sunday.
In view of the protests, police deployed additional forces and tightened security in and around the town.
Ranjitha’s brother, Veerabhadra, alleged that the accused had repeatedly pressured her to marry him despite her refusal. “She had clearly told him marriage was not possible, but he continued to harass her. He committed the crime in broad daylight,” he said.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, who attended Ranjitha’s funeral, demanded ₹50 lakh in compensation and two acres of land for the bereaved family. He also announced immediate assistance of ₹5 lakh on behalf of the party.
