Bengaluru: Engineer kills live-in partner using pressure cooker, arrested
A 24-year-old woman was reportedly killed by her live-in partner in Bengaluru, Karnataka, following an altercation over accusations of adultery on Saturday, NDTV reported, quoting police officials. The police said the accused, Vaishnav (29), reportedly beat the victim, Padmadevi, to death with a pressure cooker. The incident took place in the couple's rented accommodation in Begur's town's Mico Layout area. Both the accused and the victim hailed from Kerala and worked in Bengaluru.
Vaishnav allegedly hit Padmadevi with pressure cooker
According to the Bengaluru Police, Vaishnav allegedly hit Padmadevi with a pressure cooker during the altercation on Saturday, resulting in her death. It came to light when Padmadevi's sister couldn't reach her on the phone and contacted her neighbor, who alerted the police. The couple reportedly knew each other from college and had been living together in Bengaluru for two years. Their parents also knew about it. They also worked together at a sales and marketing firm in Bengaluru's Koramangala.
Couple had history of fights
An investigation into the incident is ongoing as the police continue to interrogate the accused. Meanwhile, their neighbors in Begur reported that the couple would frequently fight over the man's allegations that she was cheating on him. However, there have been no police cases filed by either party in the past. The police further said their parents had information about the couple's history of arguments but not about any previous violent incidents.
Investigation underway, accused arrested after fleeing
The police have registered a murder case against Vaishnav, an engineering graduate, who was arrested while attempting to flee. Senior police officer of South Bengaluru CK Baba said, "Vaishnav had some doubts about his partner, and they fought over it. On Sunday, this happened again, and he hit the woman with a cooker." According to the ANI, the man was on the run after the crime; however, the police tracked him down and arrested him.
Strange parallels to Delhi's Shraddha Walkar murder
The brutal murder bears a worrying resemblance to the murder of Shraddha Walkar in May last year by her live-in partner, Aaftab Poonawalla. Poonawala allegedly strangled Walkar, dismembered her body, and stored it in a refrigerator for about a month in their rented residence in Mehrauli, South Delhi, per reports. He later dispersed her body pieces across the national capital to cover up the crime and mislead investigators.
