18-year-old strangles Bengaluru techie, 34, to death for resisting sexual advances
PTC News Desk: A week after a software engineer was found dead inside her rented accommodation in Bengaluru, the police officials have now revealed that she was strangled to death.
The victim, Sharmila, lived alone in a flat in Subramanya Layout, Ramamurthy Nagar. She was found dead on January 3 after a fire broke out in her home, and at first investigators thought she had died from suffocation. But a detailed investigation later confirmed that she had actually been murdered.
Police said the accused, 18-year-old Krishnayya, is a PUC student from Kerala who lived in the house across from Sharmila’s flat and had a one-sided infatuation with her. Investigators believe he entered her flat late at night through a sliding balcony window. Once inside, he allegedly behaved inappropriately and hugged Sharmila from behind. When she resisted, he reportedly hit her on the neck, causing her to faint, and then strangled her to death.
To make the murder look like an accident and hide the evidence, he allegedly set fire to the bedroom, and the fire spread through the house. Because of this, police initially thought she had died due to the fire and lack of oxygen.
During the investigation, police learned that Sharmila and the accused knew each other, and neighbours said she occasionally spoke to him. Police believe his one-sided obsession drove him to commit the crime.
The accused has been arrested and placed under three days of police custody. Further investigation is ongoing to piece together the exact sequence of events and collect forensic evidence, officers said.
- With inputs from agencies
