The Bengaluru police Sunday arrested a man from Assam for allegedly killing his live-in partner and disposing of her body in a municipal garbage truck following a domestic dispute.
The police said the woman, Asha, 40, and the accused, Samshuddin, 32, worked for a housekeeping company, and had been in a relationship for the past 18 months. Asha was a widow from Bengaluru who had two adopted children living in a hostel, said the police. Samshuddin, who is married and has his wife and children in Assam, had been cohabiting with Asha for five to six months, they said.
According to the police, the couple frequently quarrelled over various domestic issues. On Saturday, tensions escalated when Asha returned home intoxicated, which investigators said was a recurring pattern that consistently triggered arguments between the pair.
“This led to another round of argument, and it provoked Samshuddin, who, in a fit of rage, strangled the woman,” said a police officer. The police suspect that Asha might have been in a relationship with another person, potentially adding to the tensions.
Samshuddin allegedly wrapped Asha’s body in a blue plastic bag, placed it inside a white plastic gunny bag, and transported it on his two-wheeler while searching for an appropriate disposal location.
Eventually, he allegedly dumped the body inside a parked garbage truck of the civic body beside the sports complex in the C K Achukattu area, hoping that it would be collected and disposed of without detection.
The crime came to light around 1.45 am Sunday when Mohamad Mustaf, a software engineer, went there to dispose of his household trash. Mustaf typically took out the garbage late at night because his and his wife’s work schedule prevented them from meeting the morning waste collection times. Upon approaching the garbage truck, Mustaf noticed hair and blood on the gunny bag and immediately alerted the CK Achukattu police station.
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The police registered a murder case and launched an investigation. Through technical analysis and examination of CCTV footage, the police identified Samshuddin as the prime suspect and arrested him in the Hulimavu area.
Lokesh B Jagalasar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South, confirmed that investigations revealed the couple had been presenting themselves as husband and wife to neighbours and acquaintances.
