K’taka woman geologist’s murder: Home Min says case would be probed from all angles
Bengaluru: Following the allegation of the involvement of BJP MLA N. Munirathna in the murder of senior female geologist KS Prathima, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated on Monday that the case will be probed from all angles.
Speaking to reporters he stated that it is not appropriate to share all the details gathered in the probe. The investigation of the accused might provide additional information, he added.
All allegations including the charge of the involvement of BJP MLA Munirathna would be probed. The investigation will look into everything surrounding the case including whether Kiran was provoked by others to commit the crime. Once the details have been confirmed, then they could be shared, Parameshwara stated.
When asked about the allegation of the involvement of the BJP MLA in the case, Parameshwara refused to answer. Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayanand had met Parameshwara and briefed him about the case.
Meanwhile, the accused former driver Kiran who had confessed to the murder, told the police that he had lied about having a government job as a driver and got married. When he was sacked from the job as he was hired on a contract basis, his wife left him.
Enraged by this, Kiran decided to either get his job back or kill the woman officer who had fired him. He had gone to the deceased Prathima’s flat last Saturday and requested her to take him back. He had even touched her feet.
When she refused, he strangled her with her veil. After Prathima collapsed, he took a knife from the kitchen and slit her throat. Later, he had thrown the weapon at an isolated place in J.P. Nagar.
Kiran had switched off his mobile and left it at his residence before committing the crime. He went to a Hindu pilgrimage centre Male Mahadeshwara Hills with his friends and did not reveal about the murder.
Congress spokesperson and legal cell secretary Surya Mukundraj has demanded that the role of MLA Munirathna be probed.
“Without getting a license, boulders were blasted in Hunasamaranahalli. The deceased officer had prepared a report about it and submitted it to the district commissioner. A complaint was also lodged at the Chikkajala police station in Bengaluru. Munirathna is the second accused in the case,” he had stated.
BJP MLA and former minister N. Munirathna on Monday claimed that he was being wrongly implicated in the murder case. Speaking to reporters, Munirathna maintained that attempts are being made to send him to Delhi’s Tihar Jail to ensure his absence during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“I am even blamed for the accidents that take place in front of my residence. Since the investigation in the Prathima murder case is underway, it would be inappropriate to comment on it,” he stated.
“Once the investigation is over, I will speak to those who want to finish me off politically,” Munirathna said.
Senior geologist Prathima, 45, who worked as a deputy director in Bengaluru Rural district, was found murdered at her residence on Sunday.
The Subramanyapura police, who launched a probe quickly, made three arrests based on suspicion and one of them, former driver Kiran turned out to be the alleged killer, the police said.
He was alleged to have been leaking critical information and the movements of the officials. Prathima had questioned him about it. However, Kiran continued to leak information, hence he was sacked, the police stated.