Woman found murdered at Bengaluru home, valuables looted

A 40-year-old woman was found murdered at her house on Dargah Road in Cottonpet on Monday.

The deceased, identified as Latha, wife of Prakasha, a cloth merchant, was strangled to death and robbed of valuables including 150 g of gold ornaments, ₹2 lakh and a mobile phone.

According to the police, Latha was alone at home when the incident occurred. Prakash, who had been to his shop in Upparpet, found the door ajar and Latha lying dead on the floor near the kitchen when he came home for lunch.

The couple hailed from Bidar and had been living in the city for more than 10 years. The family was preparing for the marriage of their daughter and had jewels and cash at home. The family suspects that someone who knew about this had committed the crime to loot the valuables.

Cottonpet police, along with the crime scene teams, visited the spot. The police suspect that the assailant is known to the family, as there was no forced entry. The police have been collecting CCTV camera footage from in and around the area to identify the accused.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Latha was smothered to death, a police officer part of the investigation said, adding that they are awaiting the autopsy report to ascertain the exact cause of the murder. The victim had her earrings intact, but other valuables were missing.

“We suspect that it was a case of murder for gain, but we are also probing other possible angles,” a senior official said.