On 29 June, a Bengaluru-based Hindu woman who was working as a physiotherapist was found dead under mysterious circumstances inside a homestay near Nandi Hills in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. Her boyfriend, Mohammed Sanjeet Ali, was found unconscious in the same room.
The deceased has been identified as Sai Surabhi. She worked at Satya Sai Hospital in Muddenahalli and lived in Bengaluru’s Banashankari area. Ali is a mechanical engineering graduate from Kerala. According to media reports, he worked as a cab driver in Bengaluru. Ali has been admitted to a hospital and is said to be out of danger.
The incident came to light after homestay staff noticed that the couple had not checked out at the scheduled time. When repeated knocks and telephone calls went unanswered, the management alerted the police.
The police broke open the locked door and found Surabhi dead, while Ali was lying unconscious. A rope, a large quantity of tablets, alcohol bottles, a pillow and signs of vomiting were recovered from the room.
Chikkaballapur Superintendent of Police Kushal Chowksi said there were no visible external or blood-related injuries on Surabhi’s body. Investigators are examining all possibilities, including murder, hanging and poisoning. The exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem examination.
A diary containing a handwritten note was also recovered, but the police have not established who wrote it. Ali’s statement will be recorded after he recovers.
Mother accuses Ali of murder and assault
Surabhi’s mother, Geetha, accused Ali of murdering her daughter and said that he had assaulted and harassed her and introduced her to narcotics.
She said the family had previously lodged a complaint against Ali at the Banashankari police station. Surabhi had also gone missing around six months earlier, following which the family filed another complaint.
Reports citing investigators said Surabhi wanted to marry Ali despite her family’s opposition. The couple reportedly eloped to Kerala before returning. Surabhi later told the authorities that, being an adult, she had the right to choose her partner.
The couple had also reportedly been booked under the NDPS Act after drugs were recovered at a party attended by them. Surabhi was subsequently admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Mysuru, where she underwent treatment for nearly six months.
Police believe Surabhi later resumed contact with Ali. She had recently travelled to Chikkaballapur to volunteer at the Sports Authority of India campus, after which Ali possibly followed her and booked the homestay.
A murder case has been registered at Nandi police station. Police are awaiting the post-mortem and forensic reports.
