Madhumitha, a 26-year-old nurse, had stepped out of the clinic for breakfast on Thursday, September 17, when her husband chased her down, attacked her with a butcher knife and poured acid on her. The attack took place in full public view around 9.15 am near Narayana Clinic in Bengaluru’s JP Nagar. Madhumitha is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital. She is in a critical condition, according to the police.
Madhumitha, who hails from Kolkata, has been working at the clinic for around one-and-a-half years. According to sources, Madhumitha and Venkatesh were married in 2023 and had been living separately for the past year due to family disputes. The alleged attack is suspected to have followed marital differences between the couple.
Venkatesh had arrived at the clinic on a motorcycle carrying a knife, a machete and acid. Madhumitha had reportedly stepped out of the clinic to have breakfast at around 9.15 am when he followed her. She reached the hospital parking area while shouting for help, where the accused repeatedly attacked her with a machete and another sharp weapon before pouring floor-cleaning acid on her.
A video from the spot shows Madhumitha, wearing a purple scrub, lying on the sloped entrance of a parking area, with blood pouring from her head and neck. Another video shows a man identified as Venkatesh, wearing a dark grey T-shirt, dark trousers and a blue cap, standing over her and repeatedly attacking her with a knife. The video appears to show him stabbing her around the head and neck.
People around reportedly attempted to intervene and rescue Madhumitha. They threw stones at Venkatesh when he continued attacking her. The accused also allegedly attempted to attack those who came to her rescue.
Traffic police personnel stationed at a nearby signal subsequently took Venkatesh into custody and handed him over to the JP Nagar police.