Doctor uses anaesthetic drug Propofol to kill wife in Bengaluru: 'His knowledge that should've saved lives, ended hers'

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Dr Mahendra Reddy, a general surgeon, has been arrested by the Bengaluru Police, for murdering his wife and dermatologist Dr Kruthika M Reddy, by administering the anaesthetic drug Propofol, pretending that it was part of her treatment.

Kruthika had married her colleague, Dr Mahendra, on May 26, 2024. In April this year, while staying at her father’s home in Marathahalli due to health issues, she suddenly collapsed and was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

At the time, police registered a case of unnatural death, assuming the cause to be medical. But Kruthika’s elder sister, Dr Nikitha M. Reddy, who is a radiologist, refused to accept that she had died of natural causes. She urged the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.

Six months later, forensic reports proved her right. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) found traces of Propofol, a powerful anaesthetic, in several of Kruthika’s organs, thus confirming that she had been administered the drug before her death.

According to investigators, Mahendra had visited Kruthika over two consecutive days and given her intravenous injections, claiming they were part of her treatment. The findings now suggest that those injections were lethal.

Following the FSL report, Marathahalli Police altered the case from an Unnatural Death Report to murder under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Mahendra, who had moved to Manipal in Udupi district soon after the incident, was arrested this week. A Look-Out Circular had already been issued against him.

Police allege that Mahendra misused his medical access to obtain operating theatre and ICU drugs and used them to execute the crime. Investigators are examining how he leveraged his professional expertise to both plan and conceal the act.

Further inquiries have brought to light troubling details about Mahendra’s background. His twin brother, Dr. Nagendra Reddy G.S., had multiple criminal and cheating cases registered against him at HAL Police Station in 2018. Mahendra and another brother, Raghava Reddy G.S., were also named co-accused in a 2023 case involving threats against the same complainant’s family. Kruthika’s family claims these facts were hidden from them during the marriage discussions.

Kruthika was known to be an accomplished dermatologist with impressive credentials, an MBBS from Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences, an MD in Dermatology from Navodaya Medical College, Raichur, and a DNB in Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy from NBEMS. She had been preparing to open her dream clinic, “Skin & Scalpel,” on May 4, 2025.

Her father, Muni Reddy, lodged a formal complaint on October 14, 2025, after the forensic findings came to light. “Kruthika trusted her husband completely, she believed in his love and his profession,” he told police. “But the same medical knowledge that should have saved lives was used to end hers. Justice for Kruthika is justice for every woman who believes in love and integrity.”

Police are continuing to question Mahendra and are mapping his access to controlled drugs, communication logs, and movements in the days leading up to the murder.