Family friend nabbed for murdering woman in E-City

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: The Electronic City Police arrested the person who had allegedly murdered a 30-yearold home maker at her residence in Prabhakar Reddy Layout recently.

The accused was identified as Rajneesh, a native of Uttar Pradesh, who was working as an assistant at a paint shop owned by the victim's brother, Pankaj.

He also used to assist the victim's husband, Pradyumna, in delivering the paint and hardware materials to customers.

On January 4, the accused had strangled the victim, Neelam, to death and fled with the cash and valuables that he found in the house.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru South-East, CK Baba, said that Rajneesh was known to the victim as he used to work with her brother and husband at their shops for the past one-and-ahalf years.

The accused had observed the business transactions and assumed that Pankaj and Pradyumna were making a lot of money.

He also noted that Pankaj used to keep the cash at his sister's house, the police said. Rajneesh plotted to steal the money and entered Pradyumna's house on Thursday around 12 pm, when Neelam was alone.

Unaware of his intentions, the woman went to the kitchen to get food for the accused. Seizing this as an opportunity, Rajneesh strangled her to death using a towel.

Following the woman's death, Rajneesh searched the house for cash, but could find only Rs 8000.

Furious, he stole the woman's ear rings and bangles before fleeing from the spot, the police added.

The matter came to light in the evening when Neelam's seven-year-old son returned from school and found his mother lying motionless.