Karnataka Official Murdered in Bengaluru Home, Driver Arrested: What We Know

Pratima had been serving as the Deputy Director in the Mines and Geology Department of the Karnataka government.

The victim, identified as Pratima, had been serving as the Deputy Director in the Mines and Geology Department of the state government.

(Photo Courtesy: X)

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An official of the Karnataka government was murdered at her home in Bengaluru on Saturday, 4 November, while her husband and son were away, the police said.

Who is the deceased? The victim, identified as Pratima KS (45), had been serving as the Deputy Director in the Mines and Geology Department of the state government.

Driver arrested: The police have taken Pratima's driver into custody on murder charges. The driver had dropped her at her residence in Bengaluru's Subramanyapora area on Saturday evening. She was murdered between 8:00 PM on Saturday and 8:00 AM on Sunday, the police said.

Pratima's brother arrived home early on Sunday and found her body. He had tried to contact her on Saturday night, but when there was no response he immediately informed the police.

What did the police say? "As usual, around 8 pm on Saturday, Pratima returned home. As she did not respond to phone calls the previous night and this morning, her elder brother came to her house to check when he found out about her murder and informed the police," Rahul Kumar Shahapurwad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City, told news agency PTI.

"Forensic and technical teams are at work on the spot. Three teams have been formed for investigation. We will be able to share further information, once we get to know exactly what happened," the official added.

Karnataka CM on the murder: Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he had ordered an investigation in the case. "I got to know about it. We will probe this. I heard she was living alone and her husband was at his native village. We don’t know the reason. We are investigating," he said.

The chief minister also called Pratima a "brave" and "dynamic" lady who had conducted raids in several places of late.

"Be it raids or any action, she earned great reputation in the department. She recently raided a few places. She didn’t make any enemies. According to the new rules, she did her work and earned a great name," he said.