The Bengaluru police on Thursday, December 30, arrested seven people in connection with the murder of a woman, identified as Archana Reddy, who was hacked to death in front of her son on a busy road near Electronic City on December 27. The husband and daughter of the woman are among the seven people who have been arrested.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), South East, Srinath M Joshi, the woman's husband Naveen Kumar, his associate, Santhosh, and others were arrested after a preliminary inquiry. Since the police suspected the role of her daughter, Yuvika Reddy, they took her into custody as well. In the First Information Report (FIR) filed after the incident, the police said that Yuvika had been in a relationship with Naveen.
The murder had taken place on December 27. Videos had surfaced on social media where a group of people were seen hacking Archana with machetes in the middle of the road. Police said that the accused had broken the window of the car and dragged her out when she was returning home from Jigani, before attacking her.
The accused had conspired to kill the woman to get her property and “lead a luxurious life”, the police said. The accused confessed to the crime and the motive during questioning, the police added. They also said that Archana and Naveen had married five years ago but had been fighting over property and money over the last few months. A complaint was also filed earlier against Naveen by Archana at the Jigani police station alleging that she was physically assaulted.
The couple had been living separately for some time now. The police said that Naveen Kumar and Archana’s daughter had moved out of the house after a fight with the deceased. However, when they could not afford a luxurious lifestyle, the two of them hatched a conspiracy to kill her and get Archana’s property, the police added.
The investigation was taken up based on eyewitness accounts and a complaint by Archana’s son. Further investigation is ongoing. DCP Srinath M Joshi stated that more arrests would be made in the case.