A city court in Bengaluru has sentenced a 33-year-old man to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his wife, a crime that was triggered after she discovered his extramarital affair through a tattoo on his arm.
From Love Story to a Deadly Deception
The convicted man, Vinay Kumar, a resident of A Narayanapura in Mahadevapura, was found guilty of murdering his 29-year-old wife, Ashwini D, inside their home in April 2021. The couple's relationship began as a love story; they met at a family wedding where Ashwini, an engineer, was a classmate of Kumar's younger sister. They fell in love and married in 2018.
However, their marriage began to crumble three years later when Kumar returned home with a tattoo bearing the name "Roopa" on his right forearm. When Ashwini questioned him about the tattoo and demanded to know the identity of Roopa, Kumar offered evasive answers. Ashwini's subsequent investigation led her to discover her husband's ongoing affair.
A Chillingly Calculated Murder Plan
According to the prosecution led by public prosecutor Satyavati HR, Kumar, unwilling to end his relationship with Roopa and fearing that Ashwini might take legal or personal action against him, decided to eliminate her. The murder was meticulously planned.
On the night of April 16, 2021, Kumar purchased a can of beer and a strip of 10 sleeping tablets before heading home. After the couple had chicken biryani for dinner, he forced Ashwini to drink the beer, into which he had secretly mixed the crushed tablets. She soon fell into a deep sleep. Kumar believed the overdose would kill her.
When he found Ashwini still breathing early the next morning, he proceeded to strangle her using her own dupatta. "Afterwards, he stepped out of the house and raised the alarm, claiming his wife was lying motionless," Satyavati stated. With a neighbour's help, he took Ashwini to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
The Unraveling of the Crime and Trial
Kumar initially managed to convince Ashwini's parents and relatives that her death was natural. However, the Mahadevapura police ordered an autopsy, and viscera samples were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The autopsy revealed the cause of death was strangulation, leading to Kumar's immediate arrest. Subsequent FSL reports confirmed the presence of alcohol and sleeping tablets in Ashwini's system.
During the trial, a web of circumstantial evidence sealed Kumar's fate. Key testimonies came from a wine shop cashier and a medical store assistant, corroborated by CCTV footage, which proved Kumar had purchased the beer and sleeping tablets on the night of the murder.
After his arrest, Kumar remained lodged in the Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara. His attempt to secure bail failed after police discovered the surety documents he submitted were fake. The court was also informed that his family had distanced themselves from him following the crime, leading to the rejection of his bail plea.
Earlier this week, the court convicted Vinay Kumar of murder, sentencing him to rigorous life imprisonment, bringing a tragic end to a case that exposed a deadly secret hidden in plain sight—a tattoo.
