Bengaluru man who went absconding after wife’s murder hangs self

Bengaluru: A 46-year-old man, who went missing after allegedly murdering his wife on Friday night, was found hanging from a tree in Southeast Bengaluru’s Hulimavu on Saturday.

Meena, 35, a housekeeper, was discovered in a pool of blood by her son at their Hulimavu home around 7:30 pm on Friday. Her husband, Mahesh Kumar, had gone missing. "It was pretty obvious that Kumar was behind the murder because he had left his phone at home and locked the house from the outside. However, we weren’t sure where he had gone," an officer investigating the case told DH. Kumar was later found hanging from a tree by passersby, who then informed the police.

Originally from Maharashtra, Kumar moved to Bengaluru about two decades ago and lost contact with his family. According to the police, Kumar suspected Meena of having an affair and had confronted her. She confessed to the relationship but refused to end it. "Kumar had even told his son once that he would have killed Meena long ago, but he was concerned about the latter’s future. Hence, he refrained," the investigator said.

On Friday evening, the couple argued over the same issue, which triggered Kumar to fetch a rod and fatally strike his wife on the head. Shortly after, he fled the house and allegedly killed himself around 10 pm.

Before fleeing, Kumar had called his son’s girlfriend, asking her to take good care of his son. He had also tried to reach his son but was unsuccessful. Kumar was Meena’s second husband, and the couple did not have any children together. He worked as a crane operator for a well-known builder in the city.