Mysuru: “I was tortured and beaten by the Police and forced to confess to murdering my now alive wife,” said Suresh, the husband, who is facing a trial for murdering his wife Mallige, who was found very much alive on Apr. 1, 2025 with her alleged paramour Ganesh after five years of having been missing from Basavanahalli in Kushalnagar in 2020.

An emotional Suresh shared his story with Star of Mysore after attending the Court hearing in Mysuru yesterday. He spoke about the issues that he had to face for approaching the Police to find his missing wife.

“Though my ‘dead’ wife has been found alive, I now fear for my life as Police Officers, who could land in trouble for botching up the entire investigation, will come after me. I am contemplating to file an application before the Court seeking protection,” said Suresh.

Suresh, after being arrested by the Bettadapura Police on charges of murdering his wife, said, “I was stripped, tied upside down and lifted up (this is called ‘Aeroplane Torture’ in Police parlance). After I was lifted up, I was beaten badly. Then they also gave me electric shock to confess for a crime I did not commit,” sighed Suresh.

Speaking of his time in KR Nagar jail, Suresh said he was given the job of cooking food for inmates. “I have cried for months together in jail cursing my fate,” he noted.

Further, speaking of his fate Suresh said, “If a person, who comes to the Police seeking help is arrested and tortured, I do not know whom to trust and where to go for justice. I had to be in jail for two years for seeking help from the Police. If the Police do not work honestly, then how will justice be served to the innocent? Measures have to be taken by the authorities concerned to stop people suffering the same fate.”

Children’s plight

At the time when Suresh was in jail, his two children — son J.S. Krishna and daughter J.S. Keerthi — were minors. Initially, the two children also believed that their father had killed their mother.

“When in jail, I was allowed to call my children once a week. I was taken aback when my son asked me how I could kill his mother. I only told him that I was innocent and that his mother was still alive. I also asked him not to believe anyone and that I will prove my innocence once out of jail,” said Suresh.

His son Krishna, who is 18-years-old now, had to quit education to ensure his younger sister Keerthi, who is 15, could continue her studies. 

 Suresh’s search for Mallige

After being released on bail, Suresh with the help of his friend continued his search for Mallige. He had informed everyone to keep an eye out for her as he believed she had left home voluntarily and was living in and around Mysuru or Kodagu.

“Now and then I would get information that Mallige was living with another man near Virajpet. But, I never got proper information about her location. On Apr. 1, as fate would have it, my friends saw her with a man at a hotel in Madikeri and immediately called me.  I informed my advocate Pandu Pujari, who was in Mysuru and based on his instructions informed Madikeri Town Police and rest is history,” said a relieved looking Suresh.