A convicted murderer, who escaped police custody on February 16, is now suspected to have killed his second wife. 41-year-old Shakar was convicted for killing his wife in 2011 by a Bengaluru court. Shankar’s second wife, 31-year-old Renuka, was found murdered at a lodge in Majestic on Tuesday night, which has led police to suspect Shankar’s involvement.
Upparpet Police say that the manager of Surya Nest Lodge called the police when a foul smell began emanating from the room, which Shankar and Renuka had rented. When the police arrived at the spot and broke open the door on Tuesday night, they found her body, which was beginning to decompose.
“The cause of death was clear. The woman’s throat was slit. After autopsy, she was identified as Renuka, Shankar’s wife. That’s when we realised that he may have killed her since he has a track record,” the Upparpet Police added.
According to the Upparpet Police, Shankar was undergoing treatment at Victoria Hospital on February 16 after he complained of “terrible pain” in his head. “This was just a ruse. He had hatched a plan to escape. When they were shifting him from the jail ward in Victoria to conduct tests, he escaped,” the Upparpet Police said.
What happened on February 16?
On February 4, an inmate at Parrappana Agrahara Central Prison, Kalburgi Ramesh, who is a person with physical disabilities, had complained of being unwell. Since Ramesh required support to walk, Shankar and a prison guard had taken him to the jail ward in Victoria Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment.
“Kalburgi Ramesh’s health was failing. He was frequently falling ill. Even in prison, Shankar was the one, who helped Ramesh move around if he required assistance. Many a times in the past he had helped Ramesh. So the same happened on February 4 as well. Also, Shankar was prone to falling ill too and he was also taken to Victoria Hospital on multiple occasions but he had never escaped before,” the police added.
According to the Police, Renuka and Shankar met at Victoria Hospital, when they were both undergoing treatment a few years ago. Renuka, who was a victim of domestic abuse, was divorced and had moved to Bengaluru from Hassan.
“Shankar convinced her that he was in love with her. She too fell prey to it and they got married as well during one of the hospital visits. This time, when Ramesh was being treated, Shankar complained of terrible pain at the back of his head. The doctors were concerned and on February 16, they wanted to run some tests. While they were shifting him from the jail ward, he escaped,” the police said.
Police say that Shankar immediately called Renuka and asked her to meet him at the Surya Nest Lodge in Majestic. “According to the manager, they had ordered food at night and he had seen them inside the room on the night of February 16, when he went to deliver the food,” the police added.
Police now suspect that Shankar may have killed Renuka too, as he had killed his first wife in Kolar by slitting her throat.
“He was a convicted murderer and was serving a life term at Parappana Agrahara. He had slit his first wife’s throat as well. Although the motive is not known yet, we will find out when we apprehend him,” the Upparpet Police added.
A case of murder has been registered against Shankar at the Upparpet Police Station.