Live-in partner arrested for murdering woman, staging suicide

By Sumesh Rajan | March 16, 2026

Bengaluru, Karnataka, INDIA: A 23-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her live-in partner in Bengaluru, who later tried to pass off the crime as a suicide. The accused has been arrested after police investigations revealed that the woman had been strangled before the scene was staged.

The deceased has been identified as Ranjitha HG, a domestic worker originally from Kodagu district. The accused, Ayyappa KB, who also hails from Kodagu, was working as a supervisor at a dry fruits shop in the city.

According to the police, Ranjitha and Ayyappa had been living together in a rented house in Kodathi village under the Varthur police station limits for the past few months. Ayyappa had reportedly promised to marry Ranjitha after finalising a divorce from his wife and had even introduced himself to her family during a meeting on December 31, 2025.

However, their relationship had reportedly become strained in recent weeks. Ranjitha had informed her family that Ayyappa frequently assaulted her and subjected her to verbal abuse, including caste-based insults. Her sister later told police that Ranjitha had made a distress call two weeks before the incident, complaining that Ayyappa often humiliated and harassed her during gatherings with friends at their residence.

On March 1, he allegedly assaulted her again and used caste-based slurs, even expressing a wish for her death, the family alleged.

In the early hours of March 12, Ayyappa contacted Ranjitha’s sister claiming that she had attempted suicide and that he had rushed her to a private hospital on Sarjapur Road. Doctors declared her brought dead.

Suspicious of the circumstances and aware of the alleged abuse, Ranjitha’s family approached the police and accused Ayyappa of murdering her. During the investigation, police discovered that Ranjitha had been strangled with a cable wire. The accused had then attempted to stage the scene as a suicide by tying a rope to a ceiling fan.

During interrogation, Ayyappa reportedly confessed to the crime.

Police have registered a case under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Further investigation is underway.