Married woman mysteriously killed in Mysuru lodge, lover detained

A 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly murdering a woman in a lodge in Saligrama Taluk of Mysuru district on Saturday. 

According to police, the victim is identified as a 20-year-old woman named Darshitha, who was married and had a two-year-old child. Her body was found in a pool of blood in a lodge room in Bherya village (55 km from Mysuru), with the mouth and the right part of her face ripped open, killed due to a controlled explosion by an unidentified device. 

Police said that the accused, Siddaraju, a resident of Bettadapura in Periyapatna, took Darshitha from Hunsur's Gerasanahalli to visit a temple. They suspect that he planned to murder her as she had refused to marry him. Siddaraju had known Darshitha for 7 years. He worked in a hardware shop, while Darshitha lived with her parents at Gerasanahalli. Darshitha's husband lives in Kerala. 

The accused reportedly used a pressure-triggering object, or an electronic device, to kill her. Police suspect that Siddaraju might have electrocuted her by forcibly placing a cable in her mouth, after which he switched on the power button. A two-metre electric cable was also recovered from the crime scene. 

Siddaraju even attempted to carry Darshitha's body on his shoulders. But the hotel staff asked him not to touch or move the body until the police arrived. 

N Vishnuvardhana, the Mysuru Superintendent of Police, said that they are seeking the assistance of the forensic team to identify the object used to kill the woman. Adding that there must have been the use of gelatine sticks or any combustible materials for injuring and killing her. They are investigating the cause of severe bleeding, which led to her death. 

Lodge manager Manu stated that the two arrived around 2 pm on Saturday, in search of a room. Siddaraju had introduced Darshitha as his wife. He went out to get some food. After half an hour, he returned with a parcel enveloped in a plastic cover. Siddaraju claimed that the room was locked from the inside. 

The lodge staff rushed immediately and opened the door. To their shock, Darshitha's body lay in a pool of blood. Manu suggested that it was a "mysterious blast" with no sound, nor any traces of gunpowder in the room.