In connection with the investigation into the murder of a senior geologist from the Department of Mines and Geology in Bengaluru, authorities on Monday arrested her former driver, Kiran, who had previously served as Prathima’s car driver, had gone missing. An officer noted, “Kiran was recently terminated from his position by the department, and a new driver was hired. Following the incident, Kiran’s mobile phone has been turned off.” The lifeless body of Prathima KS, aged 45, was discovered with her throat slashed at her residence in Doddakallasandra, within the Subramanyapura police jurisdiction, around 8:30 am on Sunday.
A senior police official revealed that the woman was murdered within her own room. “Prathima’s throat was slashed after strangulation. We are awaiting the results of the post-mortem examination.There were no signs of forced entry into the house, and no valuable items were reported missing. It appears that someone familiar to her entered the residence and committed the crime,” stated the officer.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Rahul Kumar Shahapurwad Prathima, who had been employed in the city for the past four years, arrived home from work at approximately 8 pm on Saturday. “We suspect that the crime may have occurred during the night. We have established three investigative teams to look into the matter,” Shahapurwad stated.
Forensic Science Laboratory personnel, along with other technical experts, conducted a thorough examination of the crime scene, gathering samples and pertinent information. Prathima leaves behind her husband, Suryanarayan, residing near Thirthahalli in Shivamogga, and a 16-year-old son.
According to the police, Prathima had a phone conversation on Saturday night with her younger brother, who is a civil contractor. When her brother attempted to reach her the following morning, he found that Prathima’s phone was turned off. “Therefore, he went to Prathima’s residence and discovered her lifeless body. The grill door was secured from the inside, but it appeared that it could have been fastened from the outside by reaching through a gap,” explained an officer.
Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban, Dayananda K A, who inspected the crime scene, stated that Prathima was not under any work-related stress. “She was an active and positive officer. We had a review meeting a month ago, during which we emphasized the need to tackle illegal mining, with a specific focus on monitoring the transportation of gravel stones from Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed confidence in the police’s ability to swiftly arrest the culprit.
