A man allegedly killed his friend’s estranged wife before allegedly dying by suicide at her home on Bengaluru’s outskirts on Tuesday evening and their bodies were discovered on Wednesday.
The Hebbagodi police in Bengaluru rural district said on Wednesday that the woman, Mandira Mondal, and her estranged husband’s friend Suman Mondal, 27, hailed from West Bengal. Suman lived in Tirupalya in the Hebbagodi police limits, while Mandira lived in West Bengaluru before moving to Tirupalya.
Police investigations revealed that Suman visited Mandira at her home on Tuesday evening and that a dispute escalated into a violent confrontation, during which Suman allegedly slit Mandira’s throat before killing himself.
Mandira separated from her husband Bijon Mondal two years ago after eight years of marriage, the police said, adding that the couple’s six-year-old son, who used to live with his mother, was at his grandparents’ nearby home on Tuesday evening.
According to police sources, Suman and Bijon had travelled to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands a year ago seeking daily-wage employment. Suman returned to Bengaluru just 15 days before the incident and reconnected with Mandira, they added.
The Hebbagodi police have registered a murder case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and launched an investigation.
“Mandira’s parents have filed a complaint and we are investigating. Though it appears that Suman had killed Mandira before dying by suicide, we are also checking if there was any third person involved in the incident. It appears that Mandira and Suman were in a relationship, which her family may not have been aware of,” said a police officer.