Mysuru lodge murder mystery: Jilted lover held over ‘electrical shock' killing

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A man has been detained in Mysuru for the alleged murder of a woman at a lodge in a case police suspect was driven by a rejected marriage proposal and involved a mysterious electrical object.

The victim, identified as Darshitha, was a mother in her early twenties from Hunsur. According to a report in TOI, she was found dead on the floor of a room at a lodge in Bherya village, Saligrama, on Saturday, lying in a pool of blood with severe wounds to her mouth and face.

The accused, Siddaraju from Bettadapura village, Periyapatna, who worked at a hardware shop, had brought Darshitha to the establishment. Police allege he committed the crime after she refused to marry him. It was noted by TOI that Darshitha’s husband was residing in Kerala at the time.

Lodge manager Manu provided a detailed account to authorities, stating the pair had arrived around 2 pm on August 23. Siddaraju had booked the room, introducing Darshitha as his wife. After some time, he emerged to enquire about food and was directed to a nearby eatery. He left and returned carrying an item in a plastic cover.

The sequence of events took a sinister turn when Siddaraju later came out again, claiming he could not open the room door, which had an automatic lock. Lodge staff accompanied him and, after forcing the door open with a tool, made the grisly discovery of Darshitha’s body.

In a bizarre subsequent act, Siddaraju allegedly attempted to carry the woman’s body away on his shoulder but was prevented by the hotel staff, who insisted the body must not be moved before police arrival.

The nature of the weapon used in the killing has perplexed investigators. The Superintendent of Police for Mysuru, N Vishnuvardhana, confirmed that the use of gelatine sticks or other explosive materials has been ruled out. A forensic science expert is assisting the Saligrama police to identify the object, which caused severe bleeding in the victim’s mouth leading to her death.