BENGALURU: A 36-year-old man allegedly murdered his 32-year-old wife, stuffed her body into a suitcase, and abandoned it in their rented house in south Bengaluru before fleeing. However, he was arrested near Pune within 24 hours on Thursday night.
The victim, Gouri Anil Sambrekar, held a degree in mass media and was actively searching for a job. The accused, Rakesh Rajendra Khedekar, worked as a project manager in a software company.
The couple had moved into a first-floor house in Dodda-Kammanahalli, near Hulimavu, just a month ago. Police suspect they had relocated from Mumbai but are still investigating the exact timeline of their move to Bengaluru.
After the murder, Rakesh attempted to escape but was caught in Maharashtra while driving towards Pune. “He is being brought back to Bengaluru,” a police officer said.
During the preliminary investigation, police found that the crime was discovered on Thursday evening. Around 5:30 pm, Rakesh called his landlord and confessed to killing his wife the previous night before leaving Bengaluru. He asked the landlord to inform the police about the murder and notify her family so they could conduct her last rites.
Once in custody, Rakesh admitted to stabbing Gouri during an argument over a minor issue while having dinner on Wednesday. In a fit of rage, he took a kitchen knife and stabbed her two to three times, leading to fatal injuries. She died on the spot.
“We still don’t know what the trivial issue was. Rakesh is in a state of shock and not in a position to speak much. We will interrogate him in detail,” a senior police officer said.
Rakesh and Gouri had been married for two years in an arranged marriage. “He worked from home, so the couple used to stay together through the day. Neighbours say they didn’t notice any acrimony between the couple,” the officer added.
Police revealed that after committing the crime, Rakesh drove to Mumbai and was later caught while returning to Pune. “It is not clear why he was returning,” the officer added.