Bengaluru woman killed, body dismembered allegedly by tenants over property dispute

A 52-year-old woman named Geethamma was brutally murdered in Bengaluru's Bannerghatta area on May 27, allegedly due to a property dispute. The Bannerghatta police have made an arrest in the case, apprehending one of the accused, Indel Kumar, from Aurangabad in Bihar on June 4. Authorities are currently searching for five other individuals involved in the crime.

Geethamma resided in Janata Colony and had properties in the area. Among her tenants were Indel Kumar, Pankaj Kumar (the prime accused), Indrajeeth Kumar, Gowtham Kumar, Sataranjan Kumar, Akendar Kumar, and Sumith Kumar. Pankaj Kumar had demanded that Geethamma transfer the ownership rights of the property they occupied to Indel's name. Pankaj presented the necessary documents to Geethamma, but she refused to comply with his request. Consequently, Pankaj, with assistance from the other accused, strangled Geethamma and dismembered her body. 

Lakshminarayan, the Deputy Superintendent of Police for Anekal, stated that Geethamma had been living alone since her husband's demise and had no immediate family. The tenants were aware of her various properties and desired to obtain one for themselves to sell and keep the proceeds.

"Pankaj had been Geethamma's tenant for more than six years and had developed a close relationship with her. He would occasionally perform odd jobs for her. Due to their familiarity, Pankaj believed that Geethamma would agree to transfer the property's ownership to his name. However, when she refused, he became enraged," explained DYSP Lakshminarayan. On June 1, the police discovered Geethamma's torso after local residents reported a foul smell emanating from nearby bushes.