DNA Test Helps Police Arrest 55-Year-Old Farmer For Murder of Missing Tumakuru Woman
A missing person case originating from Muttugadahalli village in Tumakuru district has ended with the arrest of a 55-year-old farmer after DNA profiling identified a badly burnt body as that of a missing 26-year-old woman. Police revealed that the murder was motivated by jealousy stemming from an extramarital relationship.
The victim, Shwetha B, left her home in Muttugadahalli on January 19, stating she was travelling to Mayasandra village for personal work. When she failed to return, her husband, Basavagowda, lodged a missing person complaint at the Turuvekere police station on January 28. The couple has two minor daughters.
On February 1, a police patrol team discovered the badly burnt body of an unidentified woman dumped in a ditch inside the Ramasagara reserve forest. The remains were moved to a mortuary at Bellur Cross. Due to the severity of the burns, Basavagowda was unable to identify the body when summoned by the police.
Tumakuru Superintendent of Police KV Ashok formed a special investigation team led by Inspector BN Lohit. The team searched the crime scene and recovered half-burnt footwear, a broken gold nose ring, and fragments of glass bangles. Shwetha's mother, Sujata, and her daughters identified these items as resembling Shwetha's belongings.
To confirm the identity, investigators sent blood samples from Sujata and visceral samples from the body to a forensic science laboratory for DNA profiling. The DNA report, which arrived in the last week of May, confirmed the body was Shwetha's.
With the identity established, the investigation team focused on Shwetha's associates, despite her mobile phone being switched off since her disappearance. The probe led police to Bhanuprakash, a 55-year-old farmer from the same village.
During police questioning, it was revealed that Shwetha and Bhanuprakash were involved in an extramarital relationship. According to investigators, Bhanuprakash had grown increasingly jealous over Shwetha's friendships with other men and subsequently planned and executed her murder.
