Bengaluru: Former Karnataka police chief Om Prakash was stabbed to death at his house in HSR Layout here reportedly while having lunch between 1.30pm and 2.30pm Sunday. His wife Pallavi is the prime suspect in the case and is being questioned by police. He was 68.
A senior police officer said it appears Pallavi called police helpline 112 around 4.30pm to alert them about the murder. However, police are yet to ascertain the credibility by cross-checking the phone number from which the call was made.
Prakash had sustained at least 12 stab injuries, including one on the neck, but police are awaiting confirmation from the post-mortem report. Soon after the incident came to light, Prakash was rushed to St John’s Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Police have taken up a case of murder based on a complaint by Prakash’s son. Another senior officer said they are ascertaining Pallavi’s mental condition. They will check her medical history and connect with her treating doctors, if any.
A few people close to the family told police that about three days ago, Pallavi sent a message in a family WhatsApp group stating that Prakash was roaming around the house with a gun and planning to kill her. The details about the message are being verified, the officer added.
Sources close to the family said the feud between the couple had been going on for more than a decade before Prakash retired from service, and most of his family members, relatives, and the officers’ fraternity were aware of it.
A police officer said Prakash was staying with his wife on the ground floor of a four-storey building. His son was staying with his wife on the first floor, and the daughter was staying on the fourth floor. A tenant stayed on the third floor. Additional commissioner of police (West) Vikas Kumar Vikas said Prakash, his wife, and daughter were at home at the time of the incident. Sources claimed the daughter was reportedly locked up in a room during the incident. As she is in shock, her statement is yet to be recorded, another senior officer said.
Police commissioner B Dayananda confirmed to TOI that Prakash was murdered. Action against the accused will be taken during investigations. As of now, police have not secured or arrested anyone. Senior police officials are questioning his wife.
Prakash, a 1981-batch IPS officer, served as Karnataka state’s DGP and IGP from Feb 28, 2015, until he retired on March 31, 2017. Prakash was from Bihar and began his career as an additional superintendent of police in Harapanahalli in then Ballari district. He later served in various places, including SP Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, and Chikkamagaluru. He also worked at Lokayukta and as DIG in the Fire and Emergency Services and Criminal Investigation Department.
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