Mysuru / Siddapura: The circumstances surrounding the death of a 45-year-old woman from Mysuru have raised serious suspicions, after Forest Department officials intercepted a car carrying her body at a check-post near Siddapura in the early hours of Saturday. Police have detained three men, including the woman’s husband, and are investigating the case.

An Unnatural Death Report (UDR) has been registered at the Siddapura Police Station after the woman’s body was discovered inside a Haryana-registered Alto 800 car (HR-26 CE-9273) at the Maldare-Lingapura forest check-post.

The deceased has been identified as Nankidevi (45), a resident of Kumbarakoppal in Mysuru (near Surya Bakery), originally from Bhamboor village in Sirsa district, Haryana. Her husband, Rakesh Kumar and his friends Vikas and Satveer, who were transporting the body from Mysuru to Kodagu, are currently being interrogated.

From Mysuru to Madikeri

According to Police sources, the trio was en route to Madikeri when they arrived at the forest check-post around 2 am on Saturday. Forest officials, suspicious of the Haryana registration and the occupants’ inconsistent responses, questioned the men about the woman in the car.

They claimed she was asleep. However, when Forest officer Deepika attempted to wake her and received no response, she discovered the woman was already dead. A ligature mark was observed on the woman’s neck, prompting further suspicion.

The Forest staff immediately detained the three men and alerted the Siddapura Police. Sub-Inspector Manjunath and Madikeri Town Circle Inspector P.K. Raju rushed to the scene for further investigation.

During interrogation, it emerged that Nankidevi had reportedly eloped with Rakesh Kumar and had been living with him in Mysuru for the past year and a half. The couple, who had frequent quarrels, were residing in a rented house in Kumbarakoppal, where Rakesh worked as a carpenter.

Quarrel and the extreme step

According to the trio’s statement, Nankidevi allegedly attempted suicide on Friday evening. Around 8 pm, while Rakesh was at work, she reportedly called him, threatened to end her life during an argument, and then disconnected the call.

Rakesh rushed home, broke open the door with the help of neighbours and found her hanging. She was reportedly still breathing at the time. Neighbours advised him to take her to a hospital.

Soon after, Rakesh’s friends Vikas and Satveer arrived. The three placed Nankidevi in Vikas’ car and began driving toward Kodagu, claiming they intended to take her to a hospital in Madikeri. However, they told the Police that she died en route, possibly due to a history of seizures. Unfamiliar with the route, they ended up travelling via Virajpet instead of Kushalnagar.

100-km drive: Police probe on

Investigators, however, are questioning the rationale behind transporting a critically ill woman over 100-km to Kodagu instead of seeking immediate medical help in Mysuru. They have also raised doubts about the claim that she was alive when the journey began. The trio has reportedly failed to provide convincing answers to these questions.

Police are also probing whether the accused intended to dispose of the body in the forest. The route from Hunsur to Maldare is densely forested and the body could have been discarded at any point. The fact that they did not do so has added another layer of mystery to the case.

Inspector P.K. Raju stated that further action will depend on the findings of the post-mortem report, which will determine the cause of death. If it is confirmed that Nankidevi was strangled with a rope or veil, a case of murder will be filed. If she died by suicide and passed away during transport, the accused may face charges related to unlawful transportation of a dead body.

Ultimately, the direction in which the body was being taken and the intent behind it will be key to determining the appropriate criminal charges. Police have indicated that relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 will be invoked once the investigation clarifies these aspects. As the couple resided in Kumbarakoppal, the case is likely to be transferred to the jurisdiction of Metagalli Police Station in Mysuru for further investigation and closure.