Bangalore: Lecturer hacks wife to death for wanting to pursue MTech

Bangalore, Oct 24 (TNN): All 28-year-old HG Preetha wanted to do was complete her MTech course, but she paid a heavy price because her husband had only a BE degree.

Santosh Kumar smashed her head with a crowbar at their Manjunathanagar residence in Basaveshwaranagar on Monday night. She succumbed on Tuesday night.

Santosh, 32, an electronics lecturer at the Nadgir Institute of Engineering and Technology in Basaveshwaranagar, told police that he fought with Preetha after she refused to discontinue her MTech course.  In a fit of rage, he hit her with the crowbar.

Preetha, from a Shimoga-based family of farmers, married Santosh from Chikmagalur eight months ago and joined BMS College of Engineering in Basavanagudi for MTech. Preetha’s brother H Pradeep , 25, said differences arose when she was to join the 4th semester.

She’s survived by her parents and Pradeep. “The couple was happy . Santosh planned to buy property in Bangalore for which he sought our financial assistance. Preetha had told him she’d take up a job and aid him financially,” Pradeep said.

Santosh was against Preetha pursuing MTech. “Some relatives would mock that his wife was more qualified than him,” claimed a neighbour. “Santosh assaulted Preetha around 9pm on Monday, and she fell unconscious . On seeing blood oozing from her head, he thought she’d died and fled home. A neighbour who saw Santosh rushing out peeped through the half-open door and called police in,” Pradeep said.

Neighbours and policemen shifted Preetha to Columbia Asia hospital. “Santosh returned home around midnight and we took him into custody,” a police officer said. Preetha’s father Gangadhar said he would like to donate his daughter’s organs.