Officers at a Karnataka police station were sceptical when a teenager began to frequently visit them, claiming that her mother had murdered and buried her father five years ago. A trip to her house, however, revealed much more than what the investigators were prepared to learn.
If the girl’s claims were not strange enough, the spot that she led them to was more unusual – even for police officers.
A teenager’s persistence
Usha, 19, daughter of Gangamma, 40, and Lakshman, 46, began doing the rounds of Honnalli police station in Davanagere in August 2015, reiterating what the officers initially believed to be absurd claims. Caught up with other tasks, they overlooked her concerns. Maheshwara Gouda S U, the then inspector at the station, recalls that her claims did not appear to be genuine.
Days passed, but Usha did not relent, prompting the police to hear her out in detail. By then, her nine-year-old brother, who was studying at a boarding school, too began raising questions about their father’s absence. Soon, some of the villagers also joined Usha.
According to Usha, her mother had killed her father and buried him inside their house. (Express Photo)
“According to Usha, her mother had killed her father and buried him inside their house. The first question that came to our minds was why did she wait so many years to speak about it, and why were no suspicions raised so far if her father had indeed been killed. I doubted her version but followed up on the information she provided. We made arrangements to exhume a body and requested the officials concerned to be present,” Gouda says.
A burial spot most unusual
On August 12, 2015, the police arrived at Usha’s house in Nelahonne village, 330 km from Bengaluru, with a forensic team and the tahsildhar. They were, however, taken aback when she led them straight to the puja room in the house and said her father was buried there. “I was shocked. Even if a dead body had been buried, who would choose to do it in a prayer room where one places images of gods,” Gouda says.
Noticing signs of renovation on the floor of the puja room, investigators decided to go ahead with the excavation. “On digging 2-3 feet, we found human skeletal remains. The girl was right. The remains were quite intact. From that moment, we were prepared to uncover details of a crime that had taken place five years ago,” Gouda said.
Story continues below this ad
The forensic analysts and other experts collected the remains and proceeded to conduct tests to identify the deceased. The police decided to conduct a bone marrow test and took a sample from Usha for comparison.
When the test results proved that the remains were indeed of Lakshman, Gangamma was arrested. Her paramour Jagadeesh, 54, who was on the run, was nabbed a month later.
Still perplexed by the room in which they chose to bury the body, the officers asked Gangamma about the unusual burial spot. “The house only had a kitchen, a living room, a prayer room and a bathroom. While the family slept in the living room, the puja room was the only place that was barely accessed by outsiders. It also had no windows or light. So Gangamma and Jagadeesh decided to bury the body there,” Gouda said, adding that she continued to use the room for prayers and festive rituals.
Noticing signs of renovation on the floor of the puja room, investigators decided to go ahead with the excavation. (Express Photo)
Usha finally unburdens herself
Soon, Usha began narrating details of the ordeal that she went through at the age of 15. According to the police, her parents fought frequently over domestic issues. Gangamma also began having an affair with Jagadeesh, who hailed from the same village.
Story continues below this ad
When villagers began talking about their relationship, Lakshman fought with Gangamma even more. One day in 2010, Lakshman arrived home and picked a fight with his wife while Jagadeesh was present. When Lakshman hit Gangamma, Jagadeesh kicked him. The paramours then smothered Lakshman to death using a pillow. Usha, a student of Class 9 then, watched in shock.
According to Usha’s statement to the court, Jagadeesh and Gangamma had a conversation about disposing the body but they feared getting caught if they took it out of the house. They then decided to bury the body inside the house. Around 5 am the next day, Jagadeesh returned home. The following day, around 7 pm, Jagadeesh and Gangamma buried Lakshman in the puja room and poured cement over the body to seal the floor. The images of gods were then arranged in the room just as it had been before.
Usha was, meanwhile, threatened with murder if she dared reveal the matter to anyone. Gangamma told everyone that Lakshman had found work at a coffee plantation near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. Soon, the villagers stopped asking about him.
According to Gouda, Usha later told him that she was not in a state to raise her voice “because if her mother got arrested, she did not have a relative or anyone else to take care of her. ‘My brother was also quite young. Though it made me suffer every day, I kept it to myself all these years’, she said.”
Story continues below this ad
‘They don’t hesitate to do anything’: court convicts accused
With 34 witness statements and nearly 40 pieces or documents of evidence, including the DNA report, the police filed the chargesheet. Satish K S, the public prosecutor, said the evidence helped to connect the dots. The statements of Usha and her brother were recorded before the judge. The brother said that whenever he asked about their father’s absence, Gangamma ignored him.
Once the arguments concluded, the court convicted Gangamma and Jagadeesh. On July 14 this year, the first additional district and sessions court, Davanagere, sentenced them to life imprisonment.
The defence lawyer argued that Jagadeesh, aged 64 now, had suffered a stroke five years ago, and Gangamma had a grandchild to care for.
Story continues below this ad
However, Judge M H Annayyanavar stated in his judgment, “bodies are burnt or buried, but the accused buried it in the prayer room. If you look at it, they don’t hesitate to do anything.”
Unfortunately, Usha died in a fire in 2020. “The day of the verdict was an emotional moment even for the police officers. Usha should have been there as she had waited so long for justice. Her brother now lives alone in the village,” said a police officer.