BENGALURU: A city-based surgeon has been charged with murdering his newlywed wife, a dermatologist, by allegedly administering repeated overdoses of anaesthesia under the pretext of treatment.
Though the alleged murder took place in April this year, police arrested the accused doctor on Tuesday, after forensic science laboratory (FSL) reports confirmed the presence of anaesthesia in the viscera samples of the deceased woman.
Marathahalli police from the Whitefield division announced Wednesday the arrest of GS, 31, a surgical resident at the Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant (IGOT), on the premises of .
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'Anaesthesia of death’: How Bengaluru doctor’s 'cure' became a crime; killed dermatologist wife in cold bloodHe is accused of murdering his wife, Kritika M Reddy, 28, whom he had married in March 2024.
Announcing the arrest, city police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh stated that FSL reports confirmed the presence of Propofol, an intravenous anaesthetic used to induce and maintain unconsciousness for surgery, procedural sedation, or intensive care sedation.
“Soon after Kritika Reddy’s death, we had registered a case of unnatural death. Now, her father, based on the FSL report, has filed a fresh complaint accusing his son-in-law of administering an overdose of anaesthesia and killing the victim,” Singh said.
Police investigations revealed that had shifted Kritika to Cauvery Hospital in Marathahalli on April 24, claiming she had fallen unconscious at their Munnekolal residence in Whitefield.
However, doctors declared her brought dead. Since the doctors issued a death memo, an autopsy became imperative. Mahendra Reddy reportedly argued extensively with the Cauvery Hospital doctors and police, asking them to refrain from carrying out the autopsy.
He also persuaded his father-in-law, K Muni Reddy, to request the police not to perform it. “I cannot think of doctors cutting my daughter’s body into pieces and examining it. Please don't do it,” Muni Reddy repeatedly told the authorities.
Additional Commissioner of Police, East Division, Ramesh Banoth, said that despite the requests and objections from the father and husband, the body was subjected to an autopsy.
“It was mandatory since a death memo had been issued. Meanwhile, the Scene of Crime Officer’s (SOCO) team visited the residence and collected all evidence, including medical materials such as injections and liquids used in treating the victim.
According to the doctor husband, his wife had long-standing gastrointestinal (GI) issues, which he was treating,” Banoth said.
After the post-mortem, Kritika’s body was handed over to her family. The ‘Reason for death’ column in the autopsy report was left blank, pending the FSL report.
However, the FSL report, received by police on Tuesday, changed the course of the case from an unnatural death to a cold-blooded murder.
Investigators traced Mahendra Reddy to Manipal in Udupi district and detained him. According to police sources, Reddy was attending a conference at the time.
“Accused has taken a defensive stand, stating that he had treated his wife for gastrointestinal issues and that administering anaesthesia was part of it. However, he has no explanation for the overdose,” an investigating officer said.
What allegedly prompted Mahendra Reddy to murder his wife?
Police sources said Kritika’s long-term ill health disturbed Mahendra.
“Soon after the marriage, Mahendra Reddy discovered that Kritika had multiple health issues, including low blood pressure and gastrointestinal problems. He was angry with Kritika’s parents for allegedly hiding this information before the marriage. This could be one of the reasons,” an officer said.
Meanwhile, Muni Reddy’s complaint to Marathahalli police states that Mahendra Reddy often demanded money from Kritika.
“He wanted me to build a private hospital for Kritika, and I refused, stating I did not have that much money. Meanwhile, Mahendra was ignoring my daughter while growing close to another woman. He treated her gastrointestinal issues by administering liquids intravenously. After her death, Mahendra and his family objected to the autopsy. However, my elder daughter Nikita, also a doctor, insisted on it. Based on her insistence, an unnatural death report was registered. Now, the FSL report confirms the presence of anaesthesia in her viscera samples. I seek legal action against Mahendra for murdering my daughter,” Muni Reddy’s complaint read.