By Sumesh Rajan | November 1, 2025
Bengaluru, Karnataka, INDIA: In a chilling incident that has shocked the city, a 17-year-old girl and her friends allegedly murdered her mother and staged the crime as a suicide at their home in Uttarahalli, South Bengaluru.
The victim, Netravathi (35), worked as a telecaller and helper in a loan recovery firm. She lived with her only daughter after separating from her husband. The crime took place on the night of October 25, near Circle Maramma Temple Road in Uttarahalli.
The Murder and Cover-Up
According to police, five minors — including the girl and her four male friends aged between 13 and 17 — were involved in the murder. Except for one 13-year-old boy studying in Class 7, the others were school dropouts.
Investigations revealed that Netravathi’s daughter was in a romantic relationship with a 17-year-old boy, a Class 9 dropout and friend of her cousin. The boy and his friends often visited the girl’s house, which Netravathi strongly disapproved of. She had recently warned the boy not to visit again, leading to frequent quarrels between mother and daughter.
On October 24, the girl met her boyfriend and friends at a mall. She reportedly invited them home the next evening, telling them her mother would sleep early after drinking. Around 9 pm on October 25, the group — comprising the boyfriend, three of his friends, and the girl — gathered at Netravathi’s house.
When Netravathi woke up and found the teenagers inside, she scolded her daughter and the boy, seized his phone, and threatened to call the police. Enraged, the girl and her friends allegedly attacked Netravathi, covering her mouth and strangling her with a towel. Realising she was dead, they hanged her body from a ceiling fan using a saree to make it appear as a suicide.
Discovery of the Crime
The teenagers fled the scene soon after. The girl locked the house and escaped with her boyfriend, spending the next few days at a female friend’s residence, claiming her mother was out of town.
Meanwhile, Netravathi’s partner — who had been visiting her for the past five years — returned home on Sunday October 26 to find the house locked and her phone switched off. Believing she had travelled, he left.
When Netravathi’s elder sister, Anitha, could not reach her, she grew concerned. On Monday October 27, she and Netravathi’s partner visited the house again, peeped through a window, and saw her body hanging from the ceiling fan. Initially, the family suspected suicide, especially since the daughter was missing. A kidnapping case was filed at the Subramanyapura police station on October 29.
Confession and Arrests
The truth surfaced days later when the girl reached her grandmother’s house in Kaggalipura on October 30. Her suspicious behaviour prompted her aunt to question her. During interrogation, the teenager confessed that her friends had killed her mother and had threatened her with a knife to remain silent.
Based on Anitha’s complaint, police registered a case under Section 103 (Punishment for Murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West) Anitha B. Haddannavar confirmed that all five minors — including the girl and her four male friends — have been apprehended. They were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to a juvenile home.
The incident has stunned residents, highlighting the disturbing extent of juvenile delinquency and the tragic consequences of a conflict between a mother’s concern and a teenager’s defiance.
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