The Attibele police have arrested a city-based businessman for allegedly killing his wife by injecting mercury into her body ten months ago.
The victim, Vidya M., who had been undergoing treatment for severe organ failure, died at Victoria Hospital on Tuesday, prompting the police to alter the charges to dowry death.
According to police, the accused, Basavaraju, 45, claimed during interrogation that Vidya was ‘mentally ill’ and that the couple often quarreled. He denied administering any injection. However, based on a video statement recorded from Vidya before her death, Basavaraju was arrested and remanded in judicial custody on Friday.
Investigators are waiting for the final post-mortem and FSL toxicology reports to confirm mercury levels. Vidya and Basavaraju were married for five years. She is survived by a four-year-old son. The couple had met through a matrimony site. Basavaraju ran an automobile shop on Sarjapur Road.
In her recorded statement, Vidya alleged that her husband routinely locked her inside their home and body-shamed her after childbirth. She further claimed that on the night of February 26, Basavaraju injected her in the right thigh while she was asleep. She woke up the next evening with severe pain.
Vidya sought treatment at the Attibele Government Hospital on March 7, after which she was shifted to a private facility. Tests allegedly revealed mercury in her body, leading to rapid deterioration of her health. Her kidneys were severely damaged, and she had been on dialysis since March. She was later moved to Victoria Hospital as her condition worsened.
Based on her medico-legal statement, the Attibele police initially booked Basavaraju and his father, Mariswamychar, under Sections 85 and 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cruelty and attempted murder.
After Vidya’s death, Section 80 (dowry death) was invoked. Basavaraju has been arrested, while his father was under investigation.
Published – November 29, 2025 11:37 pm IST
