‘In Memory of Dr Kruthika M Reddy’: the nameplate in front of this house at Ayyappa Layout in Bengaluru’s Munnekolal reflects the pain of a grieving family. The 1,500-square-foot property, valued at around Rs 3 crore in the current market rate, was built by a retired electrical engineer for his daughter in 2016.
“I built that house only to see my daughter living happily with her husband and kids,” said K Muni Reddy, who has now donated the house, close to his own, to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) after the death of his daughter.
Kruthika, a dermatologist, moved into the house with her surgeon husband Dr Mahendra Reddy after their wedding in May 2024. In April this year, she died after being treated for gastritis by her husband by administering a medication intravenously.
Six months later, the family’s apprehensions, more precisely those of Kruthika’s sister Nikitha, came true. Forensic reports revealed that she died after being administered a high dose of Propofol, a controlled anaesthetic that can legally be used only in surgeries at hospitals, leading to Mahendra’s arrest.
“I saved money and built houses for both daughters where they could live after marriage,” said Muni Reddy, adding that he did not have the courage to enter Kruthika’s house after her death.
“Her memories haunt me. I donated it to ISKCON three months ago. They conduct events and devotional activities there. I believe she will be part of it,” said Muni Reddy.
“After her death, I believed she was still inside that house, and as a father, I was unable to stay there, which brought back the memories from her childhood to death,” he added.
‘He could have filed for a divorce’
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Muni Reddy said they conducted a background check on Mahendra before the marriage. “Although there were some minor issues between the couple, which are common in any family, they were very minimal. She was an excellent student and a dedicated professional. If he had any problems, he could have filed for divorce and separated from her instead of resorting to murder,” he said.
After Mahendra’s arrest, Kruthika’s family now believes he had been planning to kill for a long time. Narrating an incident, Muni Reddy said, “In October last year, while she was driving back home, she fell unwell. At that time, she called me, and Mahendra was on a two-wheeler behind her. I went to the hospital, and the doctors found that she had low blood pressure.”
“The doctors recommended that she be admitted to the hospital for 72 hours to determine the cause of this low blood pressure. However, within a day, he requested her discharge. The doctors told him that he would need to wait while they tried to identify whether the cause of his low blood pressure was internal or due to an external supplement,” he added.
Muni Reddy said that despite the doctors’ caution, Mahendra insisted on discharge, saying that there was a family function that he needed to attend.
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“We also believed he could manage since he was a doctor,” Muni Reddy added.
Probe on to find the source of Propofol
Mahendra, who was arrested in Manipal, was produced before a magistrate’s court on Wednesday and sent to nine days’ police custody.
On Thursday, he was taken to the house where he lived with his wife for a spot mahazar. A police officer said they are continuing their investigation to determine the source from which he procured Propofol.
“It is suspected that he acquired it from Victoria Hospital, where he was doing his fellowship. However, his family also operates a pharmacy in Madiwala and is involved in distribution and retail. Mahendra’s father runs Balaji Medicals, which could also be a source from which Propofol was obtained,” said the officer.