K’taka ex-DGP murder: Wife sent to judicial custody, daughter admitted to NIMHANS

Bengaluru: The wife of former Karnataka DGP Om Prakash, Pallavi, was arrested in connection with his murder and was remanded to judicial custody, police said on Tuesday.

DCP South-East Sarah Fathima said that the second suspect, Kriti, the daughter of late Om Prakash, has been sent to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) for mental evaluation as of now.

Sources, however, stated that Kriti has been admitted to the NIMHANS.

Police sources stated that Pallavi was produced before the magistrate and has been remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody. She has been shifted to the Bengaluru Central Prison. DCP Sarah Fathima had earlier stated that the police department is not seeking her custody anymore.

Preliminary investigations have suggested that the accused Pallavi and her daughter Kriti had planned to finish him off one week ago. Police further stated that Om Prakash was attacked by the accused while having afternoon lunch. The mother and daughter had quarrelled with him. While Om Prakash was having fish for his lunch, the accused attacked him with knives and a beer bottle and then watched him die.

The accused had thrown chilli powder into his eye first to prevent him from using his gun. Om Prakash’s body was found at the dining table in a pool of blood, after police entered forcefully into the house.

A day after Om Prakash was found brutally murdered at his residence, his wife, who is reportedly suffering from a mental disorder, was arrested on Monday on charges of involvement in the shocking crime.

In another major development, the case has been transferred to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) from the HSR Layout police station.

Kriti, named as the second suspect in the FIR, has not yet been arrested.

Police had registered an FIR against the wife and daughter of the former state DGP, who was found brutally murdered at his residence in HSR Layout, Bengaluru on last Sunday.

The FIR was filed based on a complaint lodged by his son, Karthikesh Om Prakash.

In his complaint, Karthikesh stated that his father had been receiving life threats from his mother for the past week. He also alleged that his sister forcibly brought their father back home.

Om Prakash’s wife Pallavi was named the first suspect, and his daughter, the second suspect in the FIR.

Karthikesh alleged that due to threats from his mother, Om Prakash had gone to stay at his sister Sarita Kumari’s residence. “However, two days ago, my sister Kriti went there, harassed my father, and brought him back home,” he added.

“I suspect that my father, former DGP Om Prakash, was killed by my mother, Pallavi, and sister Kriti. They are both suffering from depression and would quarrel with my father every day,” he said in the complaint.

“On April 20, around 5 p.m., while I was at the Karnataka Golf Association in the Domlur area, my neighbour Sridharan called and informed me that my father’s body was lying on the floor. I rushed home and arrived by 5.45 p.m. By then, the police and members of the public had gathered. My father was lying in a pool of blood with head injuries. I saw knives and a bottle beside the body,” Karthikesh stated. The body was later shifted to St. John’s Hospital.

The HSR Layout police have booked Pallavi and Kriti under sections 103 (1) and 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police sources said that the deceased officer’s wife had sent a message to the wife of another IPS officer, stating that she had “finished off a monster”. The police also gathered information that Pallavi made a video call after allegedly committing the crime.

Preliminary investigations indicated that Om Prakash was killed by his wife, Pallavi. However, police suspected that it may not have been possible for one person to commit such a brutal crime alone, and then questioned the daughter as well.

According to police sources, the accused first threw chilli powder on Om Prakash and poured oil on him. He was then stabbed more than 12 times in the neck, abdomen, chest, and head. Evidence suggests that he struggled for nearly 10 minutes before succumbing to his injuries.

Police also stated that Pallavi had confessed to the crime during initial questioning, claiming that she committed the act to save her own life. “Pallavi watched Om Prakash die and made phone calls after his death,” a source said.

Investigations have revealed that Pallavi suffered from a mental condition similar to schizophrenia and was undergoing treatment. Police found that she had frequently visited mental health centres and hospitals. Om Prakash had reportedly confided in close circles that he wished to live separately after their daughter’s marriage, sources stated.

IANS