Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 22: In a shocking development in the murder of former Karnataka DGP Om Prakash, his wife Pallavi has been remanded to judicial custody while their daughter Kriti has been admitted to NIMHANS for psychiatric evaluation.
According to police, preliminary investigations indicate that Pallavi, who is undergoing treatment for a mental health condition, attacked her husband while he was having lunch on Sunday, April 20. Investigators allege she and her daughter had plotted the murder a week in advance. The duo is said to have engaged in a heated quarrel with Om Prakash during the meal, before launching a violent assault using knives and a beer bottle.
Police sources revealed that Pallavi first threw chilli powder into her husband’s eyes to disable him from using his licensed firearm, then poured oil on him before stabbing him multiple times in the neck, abdomen, chest and head. Om Prakash, 68, reportedly struggled for nearly 10 minutes before succumbing to his injuries. His body was found in a pool of blood at the dining table after the police forcefully entered the residence in HSR Layout.
Following the incident, Pallavi was arrested and later sent to judicial custody. Meanwhile, their daughter Kriti, named as the second accused in the case, has not been taken into custody but has been admitted to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) for observation.
The case, initially registered at the HSR Layout police station, has now been transferred to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) for further investigation.
The FIR was filed based on a complaint by Om Prakash’s son, Karthikesh Om Prakash. In his complaint, Karthikesh alleged that his father had received life threats from Pallavi over the past week. He also claimed that Kriti had forcibly taken their father back home from his sister’s residence two days before the murder.
Karthikesh further stated that Pallavi and Kriti had been suffering from depression and would frequently argue with Om Prakash. He said that he received a call from a neighbour around 5 p.m. on Sunday informing him about the incident. On rushing home, he found his father lying dead, with visible injuries and blood on the floor. Knives and a bottle were reportedly found next to the body.
Police sources disclosed that Pallavi had messaged the wife of another IPS officer saying she had “finished off a monster,” and made a video call shortly after committing the act.
Pallavi has reportedly confessed during interrogation, claiming she acted to “save herself.” However, investigators believe it may not have been possible for her to carry out such a brutal attack alone, which led to Kriti being named a co-accused.
Both Pallavi and Kriti have been booked under sections 103(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Sources further revealed that Om Prakash had expressed his wish to live separately following Kriti’s marriage. Pallavi, they said, had been undergoing treatment for a mental disorder resembling schizophrenia and had made multiple visits to mental health centres in recent years.
The former top cop, a 1981 batch IPS officer, had served as the Director General and Inspector General of Police in Karnataka and held several key postings during his distinguished career. His brutal killing has sent shockwaves across the state’s law enforcement community.