Mobile tower data helps nab Ramamurthy Nagar woman techie’s killer

BENGALURU: The Ramamurthy Nagar murder case of techie Sharmila has been solved with the arrest of the accused Karnal Kurai (18), a neighbour. Sharmila’s mobile phone led the police to the suspect.

Karnal Kurai, who lived next door, had killed Sharmila and taken her phone. Three days later, he inserted his SIM card into her phone and turned it on, which led the police to him.

The investigation revealed that Kurai, 18, had entered Sharmila’s flat through the terrace and attempted to assault her. When she resisted, he killed her by suffocating her with a pillow and set fire to the room to destroy evidence.

The police have booked Kurai under sections 103, 64/2, 66, and 238 of the BNS for murder and rape. The post-mortem report and FSL analysis will confirm if Sharmila was raped.

Neighbours described Kurai as a quiet, single-parent guy who kept to himself. The police are interrogating him, but he’s denied any wrongdoing.

Karnal Kurai, originally from Kerala, had been secretly in love with Sharmila, but she wasn’t aware of his feelings. On January 3, Kurai entered Sharmila’s house and tried to assault her. When she resisted, he attacked her and suffocated her with a pillow.

To cover his tracks, Kurai set fire to the bedroom and escaped. Initially, it was believed that Sharmila died due to smoke inhalation from the fire, but the police investigation revealed the truth.

Sharmila, who hailed from Mangaluru, had been living in Ramamurthy Nagar for two years and worked as a techie with a multinational company. Kurai and Sharmila were acquaintances, but she wasn’t aware of his romantic feelings towards her.