CRPF man kills wife, creates chaos on road

SHIMOGA: A domestic spat between a Delhi-based CRPF personnel and his wife turned ugly as he killed her by hitting her head with a blunt object at Eshwarappa Layout of B R P Area on Sunday. Then, while fleeing on his scooter, the accused, Mahesh, caused mayhem on road - 30 people were injured as a bus overturned while trying to avoid him.
Mahesh also slashed his wife, Vatsala, with a knife, Bhadravathi rural police said.
According to police, his dash from the crime scene resulted in a bus headed for B R P Area from Shimoga turning turtle while avoiding him. Police were not immediately clear if the scooter hit the bus or if Mahesh was injured. Around 30 passengers in the bus, who sustained minor injuries, were taken to hospitals in and around Bhadravathi. Mahesh left the scooter on the spot and fled.
Superintendent of Police Kaushalendra Kumar said prima facie it appears to be a case of domestic quarrel having gone awry. Mahesh had arrived here a week ago to attend the funeral of his sister. The couple is said to have quarreled over personal issues on Saturday night, and this continued on Sunday. Following the spat, Mahesh left their son, Shashank, 8, at his brother's house nearby giving him biscuits and other eatables.
He then came back to the house that Vatsala owned and assaulted her, said R Ramesh, circle police inspector of Bhadravathi Rural. She could not react as he attacked her from behind while she was removing items from the refrigerator, Ramesh said, adding the death was caused by internal clotting of blood due to the blow.
Ramesh said the couple had been married for 14 years and had rarely been together for long due to Mahesh's posting in Jammu and Kashmir, and Delhi. Vatsala, in the meanwhile, completed her MSc (chemistry) and PhD. She left for the USA three years ago to carry out research and returned recently. Search is on for the accused.
A case of murder has been registered in Bhadravathi Rural police station on a complaint from Tanamma, mother of the victim, Kaushalendra added.
Most of the bus passengers were discharged after administering first aid and none had serious injuries.