Woman stabbed to death in front of daughter

Bangalore, 3 Aug 2013 (DHNS) :A woman was stabbed to death by an unidentified assailant in front of her five-year-old daughter at her J P Nagar residence on Thursday.

 

The incident came to light after Jyothilakshmi’s parents tried in vain to contact her on Thursday night. She did not take their calls. “On Friday morning, I asked my friend Nagaraj, who stays in the same layout, to call on my daughter and ask her to call us immediately,” her father Narasiah said.

 

Nagaraj asked his wife Susheela to visit Jyothilakshmi.

 

“As I entered the house, I saw blood drops. Jyothilakshmi’s body was lying on the floor and her daughter Jagruthi was lying next to her. I panicked and called others for help,” Susheela said.

 

Jyothilakshmi (33), a single mother, and her daughter Jagruthi lived at Venkatadri Layout in J P Nagar. Jyothilakshmi was a human resource manager at VMware on Bannerghatta Road. Jagruthi is a kindergarten student at BGS National Public School in Hulimavu.

 

Jyothilakshmi got married to Hemachandra, a software engineer in a multi-national company, eight years ago. In 2011, both decided to part ways. While Hemachandra remarried, Jyothilakshmi obtained the custody of their daughter. She moved to the rented accommodation in J P Nagar last year.

 

Hemachandra used to visit the house on weekends to meet Jagruthi, said a neighbour.
The J P Nagar police have shifted Jyothilakshmi’s body to Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences. The victim was stabbed twice in the neck and the abdomen, while Jagruthi had scratch marks on her chin, the police said.

 

Jagruthi was admitted to the emergency ward of Apollo Hospital. “She was in a semi-conscious state when our officers found her. Her eyes were wide open and she was glaring at the body of her mother,” said H S Revanna, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South,

 

A doctor at Apollo Hospital said Jagruthi was responding well to treatment. The doctors have advised the police against questioning the girl immediately since it would hamper her rehabilitation. Investigators suspect that the murder was committed by someone close to the family, since there was no sign of forcible entry. Besides, all items, including jewellery, were in order.

 

“A cartoon channel was running on TV and a few food items  were found on a sofa,” Revanna said. “The victim must have been caught off guard when the murderer stabbed her.” The investigators have recovered a serrated knife from a gutter, barely a few metres from the house. It has been sent to a forensic  laboratory for analysis.