BENGALURU: Holding a city-based music director and veena player guilty of conspiring and murdering his wife and her cousin over a domestic dispute in 2013, a city court awarded rigorous life imprisonment to him and slapped a fine of Rs 25,000.
BM Chandrashekhar, resident of Girinagar II Phase and in his late 40s, was chargesheeted for killing his wife Preeti Acharya and her cousin Veda by smashing their heads using an iron rod on the night of April 17, 2013. Police had seized the bloodstained rod from the crime scene. While Chandrashekhar’s fingerprints were found on the rod, bloodstains on it were found to be of the women.
As many as 40 witnesses, including the cashier of a wine store from where the convict had purchased beer cans on the night of the incident, were recorded. Judge Gururaj Somakallavar held him guilty.
Chandrashekhar was produced before the court from Central Prison (Parappana Agrahara), where he is lodged since the murder took place. Despite repeated appeals, courts rejected his bail petitions.
Public prosecutor HR Satyavati said reports of fingerprints, bloodstains and statements of witnesses, including neighbours, helped in securing Chandrashekhar’s conviction.
“Neighbours stated how Chandrashekhar harassed Preeti over domestic issues. She had complained twice against him to Girinagar police, accusing him of dowry harassment and beating her. He was arrested on both occasions. Statement of the principal of the school where Preeti worked as a teacher also helped. On April 17 morning, she met the principal and handed over her resignation. In the letter, Preeti had mentioned about the harassment she was subjected to and told the principal she will permanently shift to Mangaluru. All this evidence proved Chandrashekhar was harassing Preeti to the maximum,” Satyavati explained.