Homealone woman found murdered

Rajani Rajbala, 46, wife of DRDO scientist Amrith Pakyadas, was found murdered on Monday afternoon at her residence in Baiyappanahalli, Phase I, DRDO Township, CV Raman Nagar. She was alone when she was attacked, police said.

The assailant had slit her throat, allegedly for gain. One of the victim’s relatives claimed that two gold chains were missing from the house.

The couple have two children – Samlin, 18, and John Wesley, 20. Samlin is a first- year engineering student at the Oxford College of Engineering, Bommanahalli, and John Wesley, a third-year engineering student at a college in Chennai.

Pakayadas, a Grade ‘C’ scientist with the Aeronautical Development Establishment, had left for work at 8 am and Samlin had left for college half an hour later.

Rajani, a homemaker, was busy in the kitchen around 10.30 am at her D-22 quarters on the third floor, when a suspect, known to the family and aged around 30, entered the house around 11 am. Police said that a neighbour, who noticed the youth descending the stairs of the second floor and riding away a bike at around 11.30 am, went to investigate and noticed blood stains. He immediately alerted the police.

Rajbala, with injury marks on the neck, was lying in a pool of blood on the bed. Police said there was no indication of resistance and no attempt had been made to molest her. The house was not ransacked and the jewellery she wore was intact.

The couple hail from Nagercoil near Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. Pakyadas was a technical officer in Dehradun and had moved to Bangalore 20 years ago after completing his MTech.
The victim’s relative Muttu said Rajbala was known for her charity work. The couple had attended an event in Trinity Church, MG Road, on Sunday to receive a certificate on behalf of their son for his academic excellence, he added.