She planned in cold blood

TUMKUR: An intelligent woman, Prema planned meticulously, took calculated risks and switched loyalties to chase her ambition -- to make pots of money and lead a lavish life.
Hailing from Tenka-Bayalu in Thirthahalli taluk of Shimoga district, hers was an inter-caste marriage. She married Basavaraju, a mason and a resident of Shimoga, about 21 years ago.She had a daughter and two sons from him.
As she wasn't satisfied with Basavaraju's earnings, she began selling illicit liquor. Basavaraju, who was physically abusive, deserted the family and left the house. Prema went to her sister, Vishalakshamma's house in Varamballi, Hosanagar taluk of Shimoga district. When Vishalakshamma's husband Shivappa began harassing her for sexual favours, she left her children and moved to Bangalore with the help of her relatives. She joined a garment unit in Kanakanagar.
About 12 years ago, on her way back to Shimoga, she met Pradeep, a pimp from Kerala. They began living together in Bangalore. It was Pradeep who introduced her to prostitution. To avoid detection, they would frequently change houses. However, cases had been booked against them in various police stations, like Hebbal, Mahalakshmi Layout, Hennur, Nandini Layout and RT Nagar.
About a year ago, Pradeep asked her for money to treat his ailing mother. She refused and it led to a bitter quarrel and separation.
Prema then shifted to Sultanpalya. Her nephew, Raghavendra, and his friend, Sundaresh, who were thrown out of their jobs by a private company, joined her.
The three continued the prostitution racket from Prema's house. But they weren't satisfied with the earnings. They looked for quick ways of making money and hit upon the idea of robbing sex workers. "They chose sex workers as victims, as the hapless women wouldn't have strong family backgrounds,'' police said.
Prema was good at anticipating trouble and taking measures to thwart them. On November 15, 2010, she kidnapped a sex worker, Nethravathi, robbed and then killed her. But, the victim's associates had noted down the number of her Maruti van. When Nethravathi didn't return, they lodged a complaint at R T Nagar police station. A couple of days later, they caught Prema near Majestic and took her to Upparpet police station, where she pretended innocence and escaped.
After this, Prema realized that Bangalore wasn't safe for her anymore, so she shifted base to Shimoga and began living there with her children. To avoid trouble, she sold her van to a person from Davanagere. But, Nethravathi's associates were not ready to let her off the hook. They traced her village and assaulted her brother, Manjunath, and demanded to know her whereabouts. On that day, she had gone to a temple at Hosanagar. When they went there, she sought police protection and complained against them. She managed to escape and remain free, but only till the Tumkur police nabbed her.