By Sagaya Fernando | November 26, 2025
Bengaluru, Karnataka, INDIA: A 28-year-old homemaker from Attibele, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, died on Monday after battling for life for nine months, following alleged mercury poisoning by her husband. The victim, Vidya, recorded a detailed statement from her hospital bed a day before her condition worsened, accusing her husband, M. Basavaraju, of intentionally injecting her with mercury in February. She also levelled serious allegations of continued harassment by him and her father-in-law, Mariswamachari.
Vidya, who leaves behind a four-year-old child, passed away at Victoria Hospital, where she had been undergoing treatment for extensive organ damage caused by the toxic metal.
A Mysterious Night and Sudden Decline
According to the FIR filed by Attibele police, the incident occurred on the night of February 26, when Vidya went to sleep as usual. She reportedly regained consciousness only the next evening, disoriented and in severe pain.
“When I woke up, my right thigh was swollen, and I struggled to walk. It felt like I had been injected with something,” she stated in a video-recorded declaration to the police.
Her health gradually deteriorated over the next few days. On March 7, she sought medical help at the Attibele Government Hospital and was subsequently referred to Oxford Hospital for further investigation.
Mercury Poisoning Confirmed
Doctors at Oxford Hospital ran a series of tests after noticing abnormal symptoms. Surgery was performed on Vidya’s swollen thigh, and samples sent for forensic analysis confirmed the presence of mercury in her bloodstream.
She remained admitted for over a month before being shifted to Victoria Hospital, where doctors informed her that the toxin had spread throughout her body, severely affecting her kidneys and other organs. She was placed on regular dialysis in a desperate attempt to stabilise her condition.
Dying Declaration Points to Planned Attack
In her statement to police—later converted into an FIR under attempt to murder charges—Vidya alleged that her husband and father-in-law had deliberately injected mercury into her body with the intention of killing her.
She also claimed that a couple working as lab technicians at SLN Diagnostic Centre supplied Basavaraju with chloroform, syringes, and mercury. “I don’t remember the husband’s name. The wife was named Swetha. They gave my husband chloroform, syringes and mercury,” Vidya stated.
Her account detailed persistent domestic harassment. She alleged that Basavaraju routinely humiliated her, calling her “mad,” confining her inside their home, preventing her from visiting relatives, and verbally abusing her.
Probe Expands to Dowry-Related Death
Following Vidya’s death, police said the case is now being investigated as a possible dowry-related death, given the history of domestic harassment she narrated.
Senior officers confirmed that investigators are examining: The alleged involvement of the diagnostic centre technicians; The source of the mercury; Medical findings from all three hospitals; Patterns of abuse detailed in Vidya’s dying declaration
Police teams have begun questioning the accused and verifying the supply chain of the toxic substance.
Nine-Month Battle Ends in Tragedy
Despite multiple rounds of treatment, including surgery and dialysis, Vidya’s condition continued declining over the months. Doctors at Victoria Hospital confirmed that the poison had caused irreversible organ damage.
She succumbed on November 24, closing a painful chapter but opening a complex criminal investigation.
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