Bengaluru surgeon proposed to other women after killing dermatologist wife - 'I killed her for you'

Dr Kruthila Reddy and Dr Mahendra Reddy GS

A Bengaluru doctor, arrested for the murder of his wife, sent a chilling message to a former acquaintance weeks after the crime, stating, “I killed my wife for you,” according to a report by TOI. The message was part of a series of desperate attempts to rekindle relationships with multiple women following his wife’s death.

Dr Mahendra Reddy GS, the primary accused, is alleged to have administered an anaesthetic to his 29-year-old wife, Dr Kruthila Reddy, also a dermatologist, on April 24, leading to her death. He was subsequently arrested on October 14 from Manipal in Udupi district.

The investigation took a macabre turn when police uncovered digital evidence of Mahendra’s communications. After being blocked on multiple messaging platforms by a medical professional — who is not a doctor — he reportedly resorted to using the digital payment app PhonePe to send the cryptic confession.

Deputy commissioner of police (Whitefield) K Parashurama was cited by TOI as saying that the messages were sent via the application. The mobile phone and laptop seized from the accused have been sent to a forensic science laboratory for analysis.

Police sources indicate the woman had spurned Mahendra’s advances and blocked him even before his marriage to Kruthika. After learning of his marriage, she maintained her distance. A senior officer involved in the case stated that the woman initially believed Mahendra’s shocking message was a fabricated ploy to get her attention, only realising the grim truth upon his arrest for murder. The officer confirmed the woman has no role in the crime.

The probe has revealed a broader pattern of bizarre and calculated deception. Investigators found that Mahendra had been in contact with a Mumbai-based woman until 2023, having proposed to her and met her on several occasions. In a startling move, he then orchestrated his own fictional death, having his father inform the woman that Mahendra had “died in an accident,” severing contact.

However, in a grotesque resurrection this past September, Mahendra contacted the woman again to confess he was very much alive. He allegedly provided a twisted explanation, claiming his astrological chart had foretold his first wife’s death.

He admitted to lying about his own death and explained that his marriage to Kruthika had been a consequence of this belief. Now a widower, he told the woman his “love for her was genuine” and renewed his marriage proposal.