Angered over his wife’s alleged social media obsession, a 27-year-old man allegedly bashed her head in with a stone and burnt her body in a eucalyptus grove in the outskirts of Bengaluru. The horror did not end there. He also allegedly killed his three-month-old baby boy and threw the child’s body in the bushes in the same grove.
Two years ago, SK Raju, a resident of Ramanagara’s Gangondanahalli had sent 25-year-old Sushma a friend request on Facebook. A few weeks later, she accepted it and they soon began chatting every day.
“A month or so after they chatted, they met and fell in love. Over eight months ago, Sushma became pregnant and she decided to tell her parents about Raju,” the Bidadi Police told media.
Sushma’s parents, first opposed the relationship but later relented and decided to get the couple married when they learnt that their daughter was pregnant. Three months ago, Sushma gave birth to a baby boy and the couple were to hold a naming ceremony in February. However, police say that all was not well between the couple and that Raju constantly picked fights with Sushma.
“She was a homemaker and he worked as a warehouse as a supervisor. Raju would pick fights with Sushma as he felt she was not doing the household chores but was always on Facebook and Instagram. He had even called Sushma’s father Govindaiah and told him to instruct Sushma about not using her phone so often,” the police said.
However, what began as fights about household chores soon led to Raju accusing Sushma of having an affair with a man she met online. “According to his statement, he became suspicious of her phone usage. He would accuse her of chatting with other men on Facebook and Instagram,” the police said.
The next morning, Raju told Sushma that he wanted to take her out for a picnic. He decided to drive Sushma and the baby boy to a eucalyptus grove located near Wonder La, an amusement near Bengaluru. When they were inside the grove, Raju allegedly bashed Sushma’s head in with a stone. He then allegedly took out a bottle of petrol that he had brought along and poured it over Sushma, who was unconscious and set her on fire. He then allegedly smothered his three-month-old baby boy with a pillow and threw the baby’s body in the bushes.
On January 20, Forest Officer Shivakumar, who was out for his daily patrolling duty, smelt something foul. “I decided to see what it was. I saw some blood on a stone and there was something black just a few meters away. When I went to see what it was, it looked like a burnt body. I was so shocked. I immediately informed the Bidadi Police,” Shivakumar told TNM.
“The murder is believed to have been committed on January 19. I was patrolling that same area that morning and left after looking through the forest area, just like I do every day. Maybe if I had come a little later, I could have saved the woman and the child. We are looking for the baby round the clock,” Shivakumar added.
On January 26, the woman’s father, Govindaiah, filed a missing person complaint online. Govindaiah had stated that his daughter and grandson had disappeared and that Raju was evading his calls.
“The woman’s father suspected that Raju was involved in her disappearance. After the forensic report came back, we realised that the body found on January 20 belonged to Sushma, the same one reported missing,” the Bidadi police said.
On Wednesday, the police arrested SK Raju and grilled him for hours, after which he allegedly confessed to killing the baby boy as well. “When we went to the bushes, there was a pillow but there was no baby. We are still searching for the baby’s body,” the police added.
Shivakumar told media that when they went to look for the baby’s body, they spotted a leopard prowling the area and decided to come back later. Officials now suspect that the leopard may have taken the baby’s body.
Raju was booked for murder and has been remanded to judicial custody.
