A 23-year-old woman in Bengaluru was allegedly murdered by her live-in partner, who had promised to marry her following his divorce. After the victim’s death, the accused contacted her family claiming she had died by suicide. However, suspicious of his history of abuse, the family alerted the police. Investigations later revealed the woman had been strangled with a wire before the scene was staged to look like a suicide. The police have since arrested the accused, identified as Ayyappa KB, an employee at a dry fruit shop.
The deceased has been identified as Ranjitha HG, who worked as domestic help. According to the police, both the victim and the accused hailed from Kodagu district. Ranjitha had introduced Ayyappa to her family on December 31, 2025, at which point he claimed he was separated from his wife and would marry Ranjitha once his legal divorce was finalised.
Ranjitha’s sister disclosed that the victim had made a distressing call two weeks prior to the incident, reporting that Ayyappa frequently assaulted her over trivial matters. She further alleged that he would harass her in front of friends during parties at their home. On March 1, the accused reportedly beat her and subjected her to caste-based abuse, stating he wished for her death.
In the early hours of March 12, Ayyappa informed Ranjitha’s sister that she had attempted suicide and was taken to a private hospital on Sarjapur Road, where she was declared brought dead. Suspecting foul play, the family accused Ayyappa of murder.
Preliminary investigations confirmed that Ayyappa strangulated Ranjitha with a wire and subsequently attempted to fabricate a suicide scene by tying a rope to a ceiling fan. During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to the crime.
A senior officer stated that a case has been registered under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
