Udupi: Wife and lover arrested in chilling plot to murder husband with slow poison

Udupi: Wife and lover arrested in chilling plot to murder husband with slow poison

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, October 27, 2024: In Ajekar of Karkala Taluk, Udupi district, an incident where a wife allegedly conspired with her lover to murder her husband using slow poison has sparked widespread discussion across the coastal region. Shortly after, a shocking audio recording of Pratima, the accused wife, went viral. Both she and her accomplice have been arrested by the police. It is reported that the police were shocked by a statement Pratima made during her interrogation.

According to District Police Superintendent Dr. Arun K, Pratima and her friend Dileep Hegde are accused in the murder of her husband Balakrishna. Both suspects have been apprehended, with Pratima remanded to judicial custody for 14 days, while Dileep has been taken into police custody. Following her arrest, Pratima reportedly confessed to the murder in an audio recording that went viral, in which she admits the crime to her brother.

What did Pratima say?
Pratima had allegedly devised a deadly plan to murder her husband, Balakrishna Poojary. She decided to poison him gradually, thinking a sudden death would raise suspicion. Her boyfriend, Dileep Hegde, provided her with the poison. Pratima believed that by slowly poisoning him, his organs would sustain damage and he would die, which they could portray as a natural death. As she had planned, Balakrishna’s kidneys and liver became severely damaged, and his nerves lost sensation. He suffered from fever and vomiting for the past 25 days. Pratima even took him to various hospitals, claiming he was suffering from jaundice.

She had him treated at six hospitals, including KMC in Manipal, NIMHANS and Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, and Wenlock Hospital in Mangalore. However, her plan was not successful. Eventually, on October 20, around 2 a.m., she called Dileep Hegde to her house to finish the murder. She hid him in the bathroom so that Balakrishna would not notice. When Balakrishna fell into a deep sleep around 2:30 a.m., Dileep allegedly smothered him with a bedsheet while Pratima held down his chest and legs, preventing him from struggling, leading to his death. Dileep then left the house after the act.

Suspicious marks were found around Balakrishna’s lips and cheeks, with his nose appearing red, leading Pratima’s brother, Sandeep, to suspect foul play. He filed a complaint with the police. The body was sent to Manipal Hospital for a post-mortem, though the report has not yet been received. Before the report was available, Pratima reportedly confessed to her brother, admitting her role and implicating Dileep as an accomplice. Sandeep recorded her confession and handed it to the police, joining efforts to seek justice for his deceased brother-in-law Balakrishna.