Bengaluru police arrest Bihar man near Nepal border for allegedly murdering wife
New Delhi: In a major breakthrough, the Kumbalagodu police have arrested a man accused of murdering his 24-year-old wife in Bengaluru after tracking him for more than 2,000 kilometres through Naxal-affected areas of Bihar and the Nepal-Bihar border.
The accused, identified as Dheeraj Kumar, was arrested following a week-long operation after he allegedly killed his wife, Reema Kumari, at their rented house in Gerupalya on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Body found wrapped in bedsheet
The case came to light on July 29, when residents of a building in Gerupalya alerted police after noticing a foul smell emanating from one of the rented houses. Police broke open the door and discovered Reema’s body wrapped in a bedsheet. Her husband was missing, triggering a manhunt.
With no relatives of the couple living in Bengaluru and Dheeraj having switched off his mobile phone before fleeing, investigators faced significant challenges in tracing him.
7-day hunt across Bihar
A six-member special team from Kumbalagodu police travelled to Bihar and located Reema’s parents in a village in Madhubani district. During the investigation, police learned that Reema’s parents had reported her missing in Bihar nearly a year ago. However, local authorities had allegedly failed to register a formal missing person case or pursue the complaint.
Reema’s parents later travelled to Bengaluru but were unable to take their daughter’s body back to Bihar due to financial and logistical constraints. She was buried in Bengaluru.
With assistance from local police, the Bengaluru team searched villages across the Naxal-affected East Champaran district before finally tracing Dheeraj to a village along the Nepal-Bihar border. He was arrested after a seven-day search operation.
Love marriage ended in tragedy
During questioning, investigators found that the couple had married about 10 months ago without informing their families and had settled in Bengaluru.
Police said the relationship had recently become strained, with frequent arguments over Reema’s desire to return to her hometown. The couple also reportedly had disagreements about their marriage and household responsibilities.
According to the investigation, an argument over cooking on July 27 escalated after Reema allegedly assaulted her husband. Enraged by the altercation, Dheeraj is accused of strangling her with her dupatta before fleeing to Bihar.
The accused has been brought back to Bengaluru and remanded to judicial custody. Police have registered a case and are continuing their investigation.