Bengaluru: Nearly nine years after a Bengaluru cab driver was found dead under mysterious circumstances, a city court has sentenced his wife and her boyfriend to life imprisonment for his murder. The conviction marks the end of a long legal battle in a case that was initially believed to be a suicide but was later uncovered as a carefully planned murder through scientific evidence, medical findings, and call detail records.
The victim, Satish, a 38-year-old cab driver from Bengaluru’s Yeswanthpur area, was found unconscious at his home in the early hours of May 22, 2017. His wife, Kalpana, then 32, alerted neighbours around 3 a.m., claiming that her husband had attempted suicide and had collapsed. With the help of neighbours, Satish was rushed to MS Ramaiah Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
At first, police believed the case could be one of suicide. According to investigators, Satish had reportedly struggled with alcohol addiction, and there appeared to be no immediate signs of foul play. Kalpana was seen grieving at the hospital, and after recording her preliminary statement, police allowed the family to perform the last rites.
However, the investigation took a dramatic turn following the post-mortem examination. While doctors detected traces of a sedative in Satish’s body, they also noticed suspicious marks on his neck, raising the possibility that he had been strangled rather than having died by suicide. These findings prompted investigators to look deeper into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The breakthrough came when Krupa Shankar, a relative of the deceased, approached the Yeswanthpur police station a day after the incident. He informed investigators that Kalpana had gone missing with her two children in April 2017 and had later been traced to Ballari, where she was staying with Javed Basha, an aspiring actor in the Kannada film industry. Police had reunited Kalpana and the children with Satish after he filed a missing persons complaint, but the information suggested that Kalpana and Javed were involved in a relationship.
Based on this lead, investigators examined the Call Detail Records (CDRs) of Kalpana and Javed. The phone records revealed frequent conversations between the two throughout the day on May 22, 2017. More importantly, investigators discovered a significant two-hour gap in communication between 12:29 a.m. and 2:36 a.m., the same period during which doctors estimated Satish had died.
Further analysis showed that both Kalpana’s and Javed’s mobile phones were active from the same location during those hours, placing Javed at Satish’s residence despite his claim of being elsewhere. Investigators considered this a crucial piece of circumstantial evidence that strengthened the murder case.
During the investigation, police took Kalpana into custody. According to the investigating officer, she later disclosed details of the alleged conspiracy. Investigators stated that Javed had allegedly purchased Alprazolam tablets from a medical store in Ballari and provided them to Kalpana. On the night of the incident, she allegedly mixed the crushed tablets into pumpkin curry served to Satish during dinner.
Police alleged that after Satish fell asleep, Kalpana put the couple’s children in another room. Around 12:30 a.m., Javed allegedly entered the house. Investigators said the two then stuffed a cloth into Satish’s mouth and strangled him. According to the police, Satish resisted the attack, after which Javed allegedly struck him with a stone before the two staged the incident to resemble a suicide.
The chargesheet was filed later in 2017, and investigators relied heavily on scientific evidence, forensic reports, mobile phone data, and medical testimony to build the case. The investigating officer later said that his biggest concern was that witnesses could turn hostile during the trial. To avoid weakening the prosecution’s case, police focused on objective evidence that could independently establish the sequence of events.
After years of court proceedings, the Bengaluru court found Kalpana and Javed guilty of murdering Satish and sentenced both to life imprisonment. The judgment highlighted the importance of forensic science and digital evidence in modern criminal investigations.
The case serves as a reminder that even crimes initially appearing to be suicides can be solved through meticulous investigation. It also demonstrates the growing role of technology, including call detail records and forensic analysis, in helping law enforcement agencies uncover the truth and secure convictions in complex murder cases.