Bengaluru: A 29-year-old married woman ganged up with her 20-year-old lover to murder her own mother because she had discovered their affair, police said.
The daughter had tried to pass off her mother's murder as a natural death, but the post-mortem report called her bluff.
The Bommanahalli police arrested Pavithra Suresh and her boyfriend Lovlish, a driver, on Friday for the murder of 46-year-old Jayalakshmi.
Jayalakshmi was found dead in her house in southern Bengaluru’s Hongasandra on September 11.
Pavithra initially told the police that her mother had passed out after slipping in the bathroom and that she had moved her to a bed where she died a few hours later. Pavithra claimed Jayalakshmi had problems with her menstrual cycle, which might have resulted in her death.
Based on Pavithra’s statement, the police filed an unnatural death report and sent the body for post-mortem.
The post-mortem report arrived on Friday, contradicting Pavithra's account. It noted that Jayalakshmi was smothered and then strangled, according to police.
Police detained Pavithra for questioning and learnt the truth. Police later questioned Lovlish and he, too, reportedly confessed.
According to a police officer close to the investigation, Pavithra and Lovlish killed Jayalakshmi because she had gotten wind of their affair. Police are investigating what they used used to kill Jayalakshmi.
Pavithra got married to Suresh 11 years ago and has two children. The family lives in Bommanahalli. On the ground floor of her mother's building in Hongasandra, she and her husband ran a grocery store.
Lovlish was Jayalakshmi's tenant and frequently visited the store. Pavithra got close to him about a year ago. Jayalakshmi recently saw them together and confronted her, according to the officer.
Pavithra, however, refused to mend her ways and continued her relationship with Lovlish. When Jayalakshmi warned her again, she felt threatened and decided to eliminate her with help from Lovlish, the officer added.
Published 14 September 2024, 03:00 IST