Bengaluru: Ex-serviceman kills wife with Buddha idol, held

BENGALURU: A 59-year-old ex-serviceman was arrested for allegedly murdering his wife by hitting her with a metal Buddha idol at his residence in MPM Layout, Nagarabhavi, recently.
Javare Gowda from Kirugadalu village of Alur taluk in Hassan district works as a conductor with BMTC. He is an alcoholic, which led to frequent fights with his wife, Manjula KB, 49, police said.
Gowda retired from the Army after serving for 20 years and later joined the BMTC.Their elder son, Chethan, a software engineer, lives abroad, the younger one, Chandan, in HSR Layout.
Gowda fell at his residence on February 18 and sustained head injuries. He was on leave when Manjula was killed between 9.50am and 7pm on March 14. The crime was discovered when Chandan, a techie, rushed home after repeated calls to his mother failed to elicit any response. Chandan had spoken to his mother at 9.47am that day, police said.
Based on a complaint filed by Chandan, police registered a case of murder against Gowda. He told police that his mother was upset with Gowda’s drinking habit.
Police suspect Gowda may have killed Manjula during a fight. “The accused took a metal idol and hit the woman on the head. We found him on March 15 and arrested him on charges of murder,” a police officer said.