Over the course of a night, the marital life of an interfaith couple in Karnataka’s Shivamogga came to a brutal end with the husband’s killing. It was, however, a confession call made by the woman, which did not go according to plan, that threw open the lid to her murderous plot.
The incident unfolded in Bhadravati town in 2016, where the couple – both working as government teachers – had moved a few years after their marriage.
The love story
In 2005, Imtiyaz Ahmed, 30, a graduate, was appointed as a teacher at a government primary school in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district.
Around the same time, Lakshmi was also appointed to the same school. The two grew close soon after and decided to tie the knot. However, since they belonged to different religions, they did not inform their family members. In 2011, the two registered their marriage.
After a few months, their families came to know about the marriage, but no one objected. The couple were also blessed with a baby boy. In 2014, Lakshmi’s mother fell ill and requested her to get transferred to Bhadravati taluk in Shivamogga. While Lakshmi got a transfer soon, Imtiyaz’s request was put on hold.
Lakshmi rented a house in Bhadravati and started living there. By 2016, Imtiyaz too got transferred, but a lot had transpired in the interim, which eventually culminated in his death.
A confession call
On July 8, 2016, Imtiyaz’s elder brother Ejaz Ahmed received a phone call from Lakshmi. A police officer said, “Lakshmi told him that she killed Imtiyaz as he beat her up and harassed her every day. She sought his protection and support in the interest of her child’s future, and pleaded with him not to reveal the matter to anyone.” Ejaz, however, immediately informed the police.
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Ten days before this, the inspector at Bhadravati’s New Town police station was suspended over a local issue, and T K Chandrashekar was given the charge. “When Ejaz alerted us, we rushed to Lakshmi’s residence but we could not find them,” he said.
Following the arrest, the police started questioning Lakshmi and Krishnamurthy separately, and found out that they had indeed killed Imtiyaz who proved to be a “hurdle” to their relationship. (Express Photo)
“Lakshmi claimed that she killed her husband, but we did not have the body, nor the accused. We didn’t even know for sure if Imtiyaz was killed at this point,” Chandrashekar added.
A police officer who was part of the probe said they then tracked the woman’s mobile phone location. “We were able to find Lakshmi and her boyfriend Krishnamurthy in Bhadravati town where they were making attempts to escape,” the officer said.
The murder
Following the arrest, the police started questioning Lakshmi and Krishnamurthy separately, and found out that they had indeed killed Imtiyaz who proved to be a “hurdle” to their relationship.
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Chandrashekar said the two had planned to commit the murder. “On July 7, 2016, Imtiyaz returned home after work and had dinner. What he did not know was that his meal was laced with sedatives. Once he fell asleep, Krishnamurthy and Lakshmi bludgeoned him to death with an iron pipe and a hammer. Krishnamurthy’s brother Shivaraju later arrived in an Innova car to transport the body. They covered the body in a bed sheet and tied it using a nylon string. It was later dumped in the Bhadra River,” the officer said.
With the help of expert swimmers, the police retrieved the body on July 9. The post-mortem report suggested that Imtiyaz was hit with hard objects, and the injuries matched the weapons seized from his residence, the police said.
Chandrashekar said, “After killing Imtiyaz, Lakshmi became anxious and feared getting caught. She thought his brother would be convinced if she gave him reasons, but things did not transpire as she had anticipated.”
An affair that led to a brutal crime
Lakshmi and Krishnamurthy were childhood friends who reconnected after she returned to Bhadravati, the police said, adding that the friendship soon turned into an affair. Krishnamurthy lived next to Lakshmi’s house and when Imtiyaz used to visit on weekends, she introduced him as her relative to prevent suspicion.
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However, it wasn’t long before Imtiyaz came to know about the affair. According to the police, the family summoned Krishnamurthy and warned him to stay away from her. Lakshmi’s counsel also alleged that Imtiyaz forced his wife to take a bank loan on his behalf, but the police refuted this claim.
Once the murder came to light, the WhatsApp chats between Lakshmi and Krishnamurthy showed that it was pre-planned, the police said. The evidence produced before the court shows that from June 30 to July 8, a lot of messages were exchanged between the two, which included planning the killing. The two were even ready to turn themselves in to save the other. A total of 201 chat details were produced before the court.
‘Teachers shape lives’
New Town police, which had registered a case under sections 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), filed the chargesheet before the court. It included 10 material evidences, 34 witness statements, forensic reports, and phone call and message records, among others.
On August 23 this year, the fourth additional district and sessions court in Bhadravati convicted all the three accused in the case. Lakshmi, 29, and Krishnamurthy, 30, were awarded the death penalty while Shivaraju, 32, was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. This is the first time in Bhadravati that a judge has pronounced the death penalty in a case.
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The court also ordered compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of Imtiyaz.
Judge Indira Mailswamy Chettiyar, in her judgment, stated, “Teachers are those who shape lives. They are the ones who take us from dark to light. Teachers shape the country’s future. But the accused 1 (Lakshmi) has maligned the image of the profession but killing her husband mercilessly. She was an educated woman and if she did not want to live with her husband, she could have taken divorce through court. But she chose to kill him, which cannot be pardoned.”
Chandrashekar, who presently works as Police Inspector at Tiptur Rural police station, said that though they cannot bring Imtiyaz back, he was able to provide justice to the man’s family. “Some of the witnesses turned hostile, but the evidence that we had collected spoke for itself. The court was convinced by it,” he added.