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Krishnamurthy’s brother, Shivaraju, later helped transport the body in an Innova car to dump it in the Bhadra River. All three accused were convicted this year.
Lakshmi called her husband’s brother after calling him (Representative image)
Back in 2005, government teachers Imtiyaz Ahmed and Lakshmi fell in love at a primary school in Kalaburagi. Despite being an interfaith couple, they married in 2011 with no objections from their families and were blessed with a son. The love story, however, met a brutal end, shattered by Lakshmi’s extramarital affair and a calculated murder plot.
The Love Story And The Marriage
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The couple tied the knot in 2011. Despite it being an interfaith marriage, their families had no objections. However, in 2014, Lakshmi’s mother got sick and she had to move to Bhadravati to care for her. During this separation, she reconnected with her childhood friend, Krishnamurthy, and their friendship turned into an affair, reported the Indian Express.
Imtiyaz Discovers Affair
Imtiyaz’s transfer at first was put on hold; however, he got a transfer in 2016 and moved to Bhadravati, where he discovered about his wife’s affair. The family warned Krishnamurthy to stay away, but the two lovers had already hatched a plot.
The Murder Plot
On July 7, 2016, they executed their plan. After lacing Imtiyaz’s dinner with sedatives, Lakshmi and Krishnamurthy bludgeoned him to death with an iron pipe and a hammer.
Krishnamurthy’s brother, Shivaraju, later helped transport the body in an Innova car to dump it in the Bhadra River.
However, Lakshmi got scared and called Imtiyaz’s brother, Ejaz Ahmed, confessing to the crime. According to a police officer quoted by the Indian Express, “Lakshmi told him that she killed Imtiyaz as he beat her up and harassed her every day. She sought his protection and support in the interest of her child’s future, and pleaded with him not to reveal the matter to anyone.” However, Ejaz alerted the police about the crime.
The new station inspector, TK Chandrashekar, acted swiftly. “Lakshmi claimed that she killed her husband, but we did not have the body, nor the accused,” he said. Police tracked her phone location and arrested her and Krishnamurthy as they attempted to flee.
Their WhatsApp chats, with 201 messages detailing the plan from June 30 to July 8, proved the murder was premeditated. With the help of expert swimmers, Imtiyaz’s body was recovered on July 9; the injuries matched the seized weapons.
The Judgement
In a landmark judgment for Bhadravati, the court convicted all three in August of this year. Lakshmi and Krishnamurthy were sentenced to death, while Shivaraju received seven years in prison. The court also ordered Rs 10 lakh in compensation for Imtiyaz’s family.
In her ruling, Judge Indira Mailswamy Chettiyar said, “Teachers are those who shape lives… But the accused 1 (Lakshmi) has maligned the image of the profession by killing her husband mercilessly. She was an educated woman, and if she did not want to live with her husband, she could have taken a divorce through the court. But she chose to kill him, which cannot be pardoned,” reported the Indian Express.
About the Author
Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can follow her…Read More
Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can follow her… Read More
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