A 24-year-old man who had been on the run after fatally stabbing a woman in a Bengaluru paying guest (PG) accommodation on July 23 has been arrested in his hometown of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The Bengaluru police confirmed the arrest on Saturday and stated that the accused had been brought to the city and remanded in police custody for ten days.
The arrest follows the emergence of CCTV footage showing the horrific murder of 24-year-old Kriti Kumari in the PG accommodation. The video, which surfaced on social media, has triggered widespread outrage.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda stated that the accused, identified as Abhishek, was apprehended in Bhopal late on Friday and transported to Bengaluru early on Saturday under a transit remand. He was presented before a local court, which ordered ten-day police custody to facilitate further investigation.
Kriti Kumari, originally from Bihar and employed at an IT firm in Bengaluru, was discovered dead in her Koramangala PG accommodation on July 23. She had sustained multiple stab wounds, and her throat was slit. A purported video of the incident, lasting 2 minutes and 50 seconds, shows Abhishek knocking on Kumari’s door at approximately 11:15 PM, holding a polythene bag. He is not visible for around 20 seconds, then reappears with a knife in one hand and his other arm around Kumari’s neck as he repeatedly stabs her. The authenticity of the video has not been independently verified.
READ MORE: Uttarakhand: CM Dhami Issues Alert To DM Amid Heavy Rainfall
The footage depicts Kumari’s desperate attempts to fend off the attack before she collapses to the floor, bleeding. Other residents of the PG accommodation are seen arriving at the scene but do not approach Kumari, likely rushing to seek help.
Regarding the motive behind the murder, police sources indicate that Kumari was friends with Abhishek’s former girlfriend. It is suspected that Abhishek, who broke into the PG accommodation, believed Kumari had influenced his ex-girlfriend to end their relationship. “He might have held a grudge against Kriti Kumari, thinking she separated him from his girlfriend,” a police officer commented.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East Division), Sara Fathima, told reporters, “We have just taken him into custody and are currently interrogating him to determine the motive behind the murder. Abhishek came to Bengaluru after completing his MBA and was employed at a private company. He was residing with his brother in the city. All details will emerge only after a thorough interrogation.”
