BENGALURU: The investigation into the murder of Prathima, senior geologist of the Mines and Geology Department, has thrown up a major revelation. Following the questioning of the accused Kiran, it was found that he had stolen Rs 5 lakh in cash, two gold bangles and bracelets from the deceased Pratima. The stolen money and gold were kept at his friend Shivu’s house in Konanakunte. He told Shivu that it was money returned to him by a borrower and that he would took it back after returning from Male Mahadeshwara hills.
During preliminary investigation, the accused Kiran had said that he had killed Prathima because she had fired him from his job as a contractual car driver. The police are now looking into whether the murder was an act of revenge or for gain.
Kiran had been working as a car driver for the past four years and had been fired from his job just 10 days before the murder. On the grounds of suspicion, the police had taken Kiran into custody and started an investigation.
The police are looking into Prathima was killed in the heat of the moment, for money, or whether it was a preplanned murder, and is there any other motive for it.
The senior geologist was found brutally murdered by slitting her throat at an independent house near Gokula apartment at Subramanyapura in the city on November 4. The police came to know that her former car driver had killed her out of revenge for removing him from the job.
Earlier, the accused, Kiran, pretended that he killed her out of anger. He depicted the murder as having been done in the heat of the moment. He then took Rs 15,000 from her wallet and went to Male Mahadeshwara Hills.
“I went to Prathima’s house to apologise and to request her to take me back to work, but she did not agree to it”, the accused admitted. Then, Kiran decided to kill her. But later on, he gave confusing statements, perhaps to mislead the police investigation.
When the police intensified the investigation, the accused admitted that it was pre-planned. The other accused, Shiva, stated during interrogation that he did not know the source of the money and that Kiran just brought the money and gave it to him for safekeeping. The police have now named Shiva a witness and seized Rs 5 lakh in cash and gold from the accused. They are investigating the case from all angles.