Man murders former wife, flees after locking her house in Savadatti

BELAGAVI: A man murdered his former wife and fled after locking the door of her house at Savadatti town in the district. The victim was identified as Kashamma Nelligani (34) of Belavadi village in Bailhongal taluk while the accused is Santosh Kamble, who hails from Bhajanwad village in Kagwad taluk.

Santosh Kamble, who worked in the police department, and Kashamma, a conductor at a KSRTC bus depot, had a tumultuous marriage. They had married 13 years ago despite being from different castes and had a traditional wedding with mutual consent from their families in 2103, but their relationship soured due to alleged harassment by Santosh. Unable to bear the harassment, Kashamma had filed for divorce and was granted it five months ago.

After the couple had a child in 2015, problems cropped up in their marriage. On October 13, after finishing her duty, Kashamma returned home, and Santosh allegedly entered her house around 8 pm. He stabbed her in the neck and stomach with a sharp object before fleeing, locking the door from the outside.

The body was discovered when neighbours reported a foul smell coming from the house. The police found Kashamma’s body in a decomposed state and sent it for post-mortem examination at Belagavi’s BIMS hospital. The case is under investigation.