Bengaluru: The Karnataka police on Monday detained a former driver of senior geologist Prathima KS who was found dead at her residence on Sunday morning.
According to the police, the accused who has been identified as Kiran (32) used to be a driver to the senior officer. However, Kiran was sacked, which made him furious.
The Subramanyapura police said that the accused allegedly attacked her just as she was entering her apartment. He cut her throat and dragged Prathima’s body inside the house and fled from the incident spot, reported The Hindu.
“We have detained one person in connection with the case. Interrogation is underway. The detained person was her driver and was fired from the job recently. More information will be available after questioning,” said Bengaluru police commissioner, B Dayananda.
The alleged murder took place days after the 45-year-old woman officer took action against illegal mining and the sand mafia.
Alert ⭕️ इस पर हत्या भी हो सकती है…
बेंगलुरु में माइंस और जियोलॉजी डिपार्टमेंट की डिप्टी डायरेक्टर केएस प्रतिमा का मर्डर उन्ही के ड्राइवर ने इसलिए कर दिया क्यूँकि उसे नौकरी से निकाल दिया था.. pic.twitter.com/weK0vKKCJ3— Garima Singh (@gforgarima) November 6, 2023
Prathima was a resident of Kuvempu Nagar in Doddakallasandra in Bengaluru. She was positioned in the Department of Mines and Geology. In the preliminary investigation, it is believed that Prathima was first strangled and then her throat was slit.
Meanwhile, the police have suspected someone close to Prathima was behind the crime. As per the police, there was no forceful entry into the house, which means someone that the victim knew had already entered the house. Also, everything was in its place, including the valuables. A post-mortem report is awaited for further investigation.
The incident was revealed when Pratish, a civic contractor and Prathima’s elder brother went to visit her at her residence. Pratish was forced to reach out to her in person as the victim was not picking up his calls, which put him in concern about her well-being.
The whole incident has sent shockwaves across the nation as it is also suspected that the murderers might belong to the same group against whom Prathima had taken action.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya called the incident a shocker to the Southern state. “The cold-blooded murder of a young mines and geology department officer in Bengaluru by suspected mining mafia elements is a shocker to the whole state,” he added.
While also cornering the ruling Congress in the state, Surya said the law and order had been deteriorated in Karnataka as he condemned the alleged murder of Prathima.
On the other hand, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assured a fair inquiry into the matter. He said, “We will inquire into it. It seems that she was staying alone in Bengaluru while her husband was in his native village. The reason is not yet known; we will inquire into it.”
