Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, an elderly couple was found murdered with their throats slit at their duplex house in Byatrayanapura on Ballari Road under Kodigehalli police station limits on Tuesday.
The highly decomposed bodies of the deceased, identified as Muniyappa, 68, and his wife Varalakshmi, 61, were lying in a pool of blood, when one of their sons, Nandish, came to check on them in the morning.
According to Nandish, his parents were not responding to his phone calls over the last two days, which prompted him to check on them, the police said. The police suspect the double murders could have happened on Sunday, however, the cause of deaths will be ascertained only after the post-mortem reports are out, they added.
According to the police, Muniyappa’s body was found lying in the hall, while Varalakshmi’s body was found in another room. Though the bodies were highly decomposed, the neighbours did not experience any foul odour as the doors and windows of the house were shut and there was also a garbage dump before their house.
After the calls went unanswered, Nandish grew suspicious and decided to visit his parents. The door was shut, but not locked, Nandish told the police. When he went inside, he found the highly decomposed bodies of his parents lying in a pool of dried blood. He alerted the neighbours, who informed the police, who rushed to the spot. Fingerprint experts were summoned to the crime scene to collect evidences. A dog squad was also called on to the spot.
Senior police officials including Additional Commissioner of Police (East) P. Harisekeran and Deputy Commissioner of Police North East, Dr. P. Harsha visited the spot. Their bodies were then shifted to M.S. Ramaiah Hospital for post-mortem.
“There is no sign of forced entry and the persons who have committed the crime is known to the couple and were either two or more in number,” said an investigating officer. There were CCTVs installed at their house, but it was not functioning, the officer added.
According to investigating officials, the motive of the murder points out towards a financial dispute. The couple owned a property in Devanahalli and about a month ago sold it to a party, taking an advance amount of Rs 25 lakh from them.
It is also said that the couple was into chit funds and finance.
“We have got some clues in the way of admissory evidences which needs to be verified and these are related to bank transactions, and once we confirm them, the culprits will be nabbed within 24 hours,” Harisekaran said.
Muniyappa had worked as an assistant comptroller with the Gandhi Krishi Vignan Kendra University of Agriculture Sciences in Jakkur on Ballari Road and retired eight years ago. Varalakshmi was a housewife and the couple, who had three sons, built their duplex house around 10 years ago and stayed there.
Their three sons – Nandish M, (40), Nagesh M, (42) and Prithiviraj M. (32), were not staying with them. While Nandish, who had done his MBA, lives with his wife separately in the city after an inter-caste marriage, Nagesh, the couple’s eldest son, an M. Sc graduate, also lived separately. The couple’s youngest son Prithiviraj lives in Vizag, who has been informed about the incident.
