NEW DELHI: The murder of former Karnataka Police chief om Prakash, allegedly by his wife, has sent shockwaves across the state as chilling details about the intensity and magnitude of the incident emerge.
Prakash’s wife Pallavi was arrested on Monday on a complaint by their son Kartikesh who suspected the involvement of his mother and sister in the killing. The case has also been transferred to the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru (CCB) for further investigation.
Here is what we know so far about the case.
How was Prakash murdered?
Prakash was found murdered in his HSR Layout house Sunday evening following an alleged heated exchange with his wife.
According to police, Pallavi threw chilli powder and attacked 64-years-old Prakash with a kitchen knife as he was eating his lunch between 2.30pm and 3pm on Sunday. She initially stabbed him in the neck and later hit him with a bottle of oil, police sources said, citing Pallavi’s statement and findings from the crime scene.
According to sources, Prakash is suspected to have struggled lying on the floor for over 15 minutes before breathing his last. Two bottles — one of a toilet cleaner and another of floor cleaner — were found next to his body. Prakash is said to have attempted running out of the house as Pallavi attacked him, but she threw a blanket on his face and pushed him to the ground. She allegedly stabbed him multiple times in the neck, shoulder, abdomen, and back as Prakash pleaded with her to spare him.
Pallavi stood next to Prakash who lay face down, his head wrapped in the blanket. He was wearing a lungi, banian (undershirt), and slippers. His lungi and banian were soaked in blood by the time a police team reached the spot, a senior officer said.
There is suspicion that Kriti, the couple’s daughter, was present on the same floor during the murder, but that is yet to be established. “When our team reached the spot, she was in her house on the third floor,” the officer added.
‘Killed the monster’
When police took Pallavi to the crime scene, she told reporters there that “domestic violence” was the reason behind the extreme step. Sources claimed that after killing her husband, she made a video call to her friend, a retired officer’s wife, and said, “I have killed the monster.”
Pallavi also called two others and informed them of the incident. One of them alerted police helpline 112. But before Hoysala police arrived at the spot, Pallavi herself had called HSR Layout police and informed them about the murder.
‘My mother Pallavi and my sister Kriti used to …’
Prakash’s son Kartikesh said that on Sunday around 5 pm, when he was at the Karnataka Golf Association in Domlur, his neighbour called him to inform him that his father was found lying downstairs.
In his complaint to the police after the incident, he alleged that his mother Pallavi had been threatening to kill his father for the past one week. “Due to these threats, my father went to stay at his sister’s house,” he said.
“Two days ago, my younger sister Kriti went there and pressured my father to return home. She brought him back against his will,” Kartikesh alleged.
“I rushed home and found police officers and people present on the spot. My father was lying in a pool of blood with injuries on his head and body. A broken bottle and a knife were found next to his body. He was then taken to St John’s Hospital,” he explained.
“My mother Pallavi and my sister Kriti used to fight with my father often. I strongly suspect that they are involved in the murder of my father. I request you to initiate legal action in this case,” he said in his complaint to the police.
Property angle being probed
Sources said the murder was the culmination of frequent run-ins between the couple. It is learnt that a dispute over a piece of property in Karnataka’s Dandeli was the focal point of the crime.
Probe is on into multiple angles, including the property feud between the couple. A majority of Prakash’s properties are in Uttara Kannada district. Prakash was superintendent of police, Uttara Kannada, in the early 1990s.
Family sources told police Prakash had purchased a few acres of land in Joida during 2011-12. He has a farmhouse on five-acre land. Pallavi alleged that Prakash was not giving any property to her or her daughter, police sources said.
‘This is a distress call from Pallavi Omprakash’
Another senior police officer said a few days ago, Pallavi sent a message in the IPS officers’ WhatsApp group requesting that a suo-motu case be registered and action taken against her husband. “This is a distress call from Pallavi Omprakash. And an online FIR from me. Please take SUO. MOTO. Cognizance and SUO moto ACTION. Me and my daughter have been under severe domestic violence at the hands of my husband Omprakash, Ex DGP Karnataka (sic),” the officer quoted Pallavi’s message as saying.
Pallavi claimed he was lacing her food with insulin and sanitiser. “Now, he has started drugging my daughter, targeting her brain just because she started raising her voice. My daughter is dying every day. We are in a very precarious, dangerous, unsafe situation and need urgent help and security. My daughter’s phone, laptop and all digital devices have been hacked or made dysfunctional. We need urgent security. As for proof, there is no dearth.”
“My husband tries to cover up his acts by declaring people as mentally unstable as and when required… All these events are for the sake of property greed and jealousy. My husband is supporting my son and daughter-in-law. Greed. Lust for money corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely…,” her message read.
Daughter taken to hospital
Kriti didn’t open her third-floor house door for police Sunday; they had to force it open. She refused to go with police and is said to have created a ruckus. According to police sources, she kept on telling them not to touch her.
She also is said to have resisted giving her fingerprints, relenting only after much cajoling.
It has also been learnt that Pallavi was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was taking medicines.
Meanwhile, the former top police brass was cremated with full state honours in Bengaluru on Monday after the autopsy. Kartikesh performed the last rites.
Speaking to reporters after the cremation, Kartikesh said, “After yesterday’s incident, I lodged a complaint. The police are doing their job, and I have full faith in them. I don’t want to comment further as the investigation will reveal everything. Let’s wait for that.”
The 68-year-old retired IPS officer was a native of Champaran, Bihar, and held a Master’s degree in Geology. Prakash was appointed Director General of Police on March 1, 2015.
