Bengaluru: Tailor's tag helps crack murder case

Bengaluru: The Doddabelavangala police of Bengaluru rural have cracked a murder case with the help of a tailor’s tag on the collar of the victim’s shirt and arrested his wife, her paramour and a minor.

Police said the deceased, Umesh, 45, a plumber by profession, was found murdered with his face smashed beyond recognition in Ijilibetta in Doddabelavangala on February 26.

The arrested have been identified as Kiran, 20, his 16-year-old younger brother, both residents of Kodihalli and Umesh’s wife Gayathri, 35.

The police said the trio had fatally strangulated Umesh and then smashed his head using a boulder.

Police said that Gayathri and Umesh have been married for the past 15 years and residing in K.G. Lakkur in Bengaluru. The couple had a son and daughter, aged between 10 and 12 years.

Gayathri had left Umesh two years ago over a domestic row and began living with her parents in Kodihalli. She then got into a relationship with Kiran, her neighbour.

According to the police, a week before Umesh was murdered, he had come to Kodihalli, along with the children, and requested her to return, but she had refused.

Umesh then decided to stay there in order to convince her. This had upset Kiran and along with Gayathri he hatched a plan.

On February 24, Kiran along with his brother took Umesh on top of a hill and they got him drunk. The two brothers the strangulated him with a piece of cloth and smashed his head with a boulder.

Collar tag solves case
On February 26, the passerby found the body and alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and investigated the scene.

The victim’s face was smashed beyond recognition. The police found a lead on the collar of Umesh’s shirt, which was custom made tag by a tailor in Hesaraghatta. The police contacted the tailor and showed him Umesh’s shirt.

The tailor had maintained a log book of his regular customers. He cross-checked with the unique barcode printed on the shirt and found that it belonged to Umesh, one of his regular customers.

The police then investigated this angle further and arrested the trio on Monday. They were later remanded to judicial custody.