BENGALURU: A 23-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her live-in partner at Ramdas Layout, Kodathi, in the wee hours of Thursday. The accused allegedly tried to make the crime appear like a suicide. However, a police investigation led to his arrest.The deceased has been identified as Ranjitha HG, and the accused as Ayyappa KB. The couple had been living together in a rented house. Ayyappa worked in a dry fruit shop, while Ranjitha was employed as a domestic help. Both are natives of Kodagu district.According to a complaint filed by Ranjitha’s mother Rani, her daughter had fallen in love with Ayyappa. On Dec 31, 2025, she took him home and introduced him to the family as her boyfriend, telling them that she intended to marry him. Ayyappa reportedly told the family that he had already been married but was living separately from his wife due to marital issues. He allegedly promised to marry Ranjitha after obtaining a divorce.
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Two weeks before her death, Ranjitha had called her mother and complained that Ayyappa would assault her frequently over trivial issues. She also alleged that he often partied with friends at home and harassed her. On March 1, he allegedly assaulted her, abused her over her caste, and wished that she would die.In the early hours of March 12, Ayyappa called Ranjitha’s sister and claimed that she had attempted suicide. He said he had taken her to a private hospital on Sarjapura Road, where the doctors declared her brought dead. The family, however, suspected foul play and alleged that Ayyappa had killed her and tried to portray it as suicide.During the preliminary investigation, police found that Ayyappa had strangulated Ranjitha with a wire before attempting to fabricate a suicide scene by tying a rope to the ceiling fan. During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to the crime.A senior officer said a case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 103 (punishment for murder) along with provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
