Bengaluru: A missing person case in Tumakuru district has ended in the arrest of a 55-year-old farmer, with DNA profiling exposing a chilling tale of betrayal, jealousy and a meticulously planned murder.For nearly four months, the mystery surrounding the disappearance of 26-year-old Shwetha B from Muttugadahalli village baffled cops. On Jan 19, Shwetha left her home, telling her family members that she was travelling to Mayasandra village for personal work. Days passed without any word from her. Growing worried, her husband Basavagowda, a farmer, lodged a complaint at Turuvekere police station on Jan 28. The couple have two minor daughters.But on Feb 1, a police patrol team discovered the badly burnt body of an unidentified woman dumped in a ditch inside the Ramasagara reserve forest. The remains were shifted to a mortuary at Bellur Cross. Basavagowda, who was summoned by police to the mortuary, was unable to identify the body because of the severe burns.Tumakuru superintendent of police KV Ashok constituted a special investigation team headed by inspector BN Lohit. The team revisited the crime scene and recovered a handful of crucial clues: half-burnt footwear, a broken gold nose ring and fragments of glass bangles.When shown the items, Shwetha’s mother Sujata and her daughters said they resembled the belongings used by Shwetha. Blood samples from Sujata and visceral samples from the victim were sent to a forensic science laboratory for DNA profiling. In the last week of May, the report arrived and confirmed what investigators had suspected: the charred body was indeed Shwetha’s.“By then, Lohit and his team, who were confident that it was Shwetha’s body, had done their homework on who could have killed Shwetha and for what. Soon, the investigating team found that it was a romance that ended on a fatal note,” Ashok told TOI.Police initially struggled because Shwetha’s mobile phone had been switched off soon after she left home. The investigation eventually led police to Bhanuprakash, 55, a farmer from the same village. During questioning, police discovered that Shwetha and Bhanuprakash were involved in an extramarital relationship. Over time, tensions had developed between them.According to investigators, Bhanuprakash had become increasingly jealous, believing Shwetha had friendships with other men. Police said he then began plotting her murder.“He had planned in detail how to murder her. First, he purchased petrol from a fuel station in a two-litre water bottle and kept it in the forest area, where he had planned to take Shwetha. Accordingly, on Jan 19, he lured Shwetha onto his motorbike under false pretences and drove her deep into the Ramasagara reserve forest. There, he smothered her to death, doused her body with petrol, and set her ablaze to destroy all evidence,” an investigating officer said.Following a complaint filed by Basavagowda, police arrested Bhanuprakash on charges of murder.“He had robbed the gold ornaments on her and pledged them with a pawn broker at Bellur Cross. We have recovered them. In the shop register, Bhanuprakash has clearly entered his name and signature. This will play a vital role in establishing evidence against him,” the officer said.—BlurbAccording to police, Bhanuprakash purchased petrol in a bottle and kept it in Ramasagara reserve forest. He then lured Shwetha onto his motorbike and drove her deep into the forest where he smothered her to death and set her ablaze to destroy evidence