Bengaluru Accenture techie murder: Teen neighbour killed her, torched flat after she resisted sexual assault

A week after a woman software engineer was found dead in her rented home in Bengaluru, police have revealed that she was murdered by an 18-year-old neighbour after she resisted his alleged sexual advances.

The victim, Sharmila DK (34), an employee of Accenture, was found dead on January 3 at her apartment in Subramany Layout, Ramamurthy Nagar. Initially, investigators believed she may have died due to suffocation caused by a fire inside the house.

Police had registered an Unnatural Death Report under Section 194(3)(iv) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and launched a detailed probe. Using scientific analysis and technical evidence, investigators later identified the accused as Karnal Kurai, who lived in the adjacent house.

According to a report in NDTV, during interrogation, Kurai allegedly confessed that he entered the woman’s house around 9 pm through a sliding window to seek sexual favours. When she resisted, he allegedly covered her mouth and nose, causing her to lose consciousness, and assaulted her during the struggle, leading to bleeding injuries.

Police said the accused then set fire to the victim’s clothes and other materials on the bed to destroy evidence and fled after stealing her mobile phone.

He has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 103(1) (murder), 64(2), 66, and 238 (destruction of evidence). Further investigation is ongoing.