Man nabbed 5 years after killing wife; had burnt her remains in Karnataka

Bengaluru: A 37-year-old man, who murdered his wife and disposed of her body in 2019, was recently arrested by the police in Ramanagara district while they were investigating an unrelated case.

Kiran, a resident of Hujagal village, had initially come under suspicion in connection with the murder of a woman named Divya on the outskirts of the village on August 12. Divya was the wife of the prime suspect, Umesh.

During questioning, investigators probed Kiran's background and asked about his marital history. Kiran claimed he was married and had a five-year-old child, but that his wife, Pooja, had run away with someone else years ago. He also mentioned that he had filed a missing persons complaint.

However, investigators were unconvinced and found no record of such a complaint.

“When questioned further, he claimed he had submitted the complaint with some friends,” said an investigator from Ramanagara. "But when his friends were questioned, they denied it. When we questioned his mother-in-law, she revealed that Kiran had told her that her daughter went missing five years ago.”

Kiran eventually confessed to the crime. During further questioning, the police learned that Kiran had murdered Pooja in 2019, suspecting she was having an affair. He then buried her body on the village outskirts.

Two years later, fearing he would be caught, Kiran exhumed the remains and burned them.

The Magadi police have since recovered teeth, bones and hair samples from the burial site, which have been sent for forensic analysis. The investigation is underway.