20-year-old married woman killed in lodge by boyfriend with explosive

BENGALURU: A 20-year-old woman, who was in an illicit relationship, was brutally murdered by her boyfriend who placed a gelatin stick in her mouth and detonated it, to make it appear like a mobile phone blast, at Bherya village in  Saligrama taluk.

The victim, Rakshita, a resident of Gerasanahalli village in Hunsur taluk, was married to a man from Kerala, but had an illicit relationship with Siddaraju of Bilikere village in Periyapatna taluk, who is the accused in the murder.

The accused lured Rakshita to a lodge in Kappadi, where he killed her and attempted to portray it as if she died in a mobile phone blast. However, the lodge staff became suspicious, as there was no mobile phone at the place, and Siddaraju attempted to flee, but they caught him.

The police were called and Siddaraju confessed to the crime, revealing that he had used a gelatin stick to kill Rakshita. A case has been registered at the Saligrama police station.

Rakshita’s family members, including her brother-in-law, mother and grandmother, expressed shock and grief over her death, stating that they had no idea about her illicit relationship with Siddharaju. The family described Rakshita as a good girl who would only visit her native place during festivals.

“My sister-in-law, Rakshita, was living in Kerala after her marriage three years ago. She would visit our village during festivals. I had gone to Mysuru city to buy clothes and received news of her murder. I don’t have any information about the incident or the person who committed the crime”, said Anukumar, Rakshita’s husband’s brother.

“Rakshita’s husband works in Dubai. The couple would visit our village during festivals. She came to the village on Friday, but left suddenly, citing her mother-in-law’s health issues. We didn’t know about her illicit relationship until now. Despite being from a family that struggles daily, Rakshita was known as a good girl in the village”, said Swamy, a neighbor of Rakshita’s family.