BENGALURU: The enigma surrounding a realtor’s violent death on the city’s outskirts has been deciphered—his wife and mother-in-law, allegedly pushed to the brink by relentless torment, executed the crime.

Yashasvini Singh (19) and Hema Bai (37) have been detained by Soladevanahalli police for the murder of 37-year-old Loknath Singh, a resident of Kannur Gate, Magadi taluk. The crime took place at BGS Layout near Bilijaji, where he was found with fatal stab wounds to his neck.

Investigations revealed that Loknath was drugged before being slain. He had multiple fraud cases against him and had forcibly married Yashasvini four months prior, despite her family’s objections. Since September 2023, he had blackmailed them into consenting to the marriage. Once married, his abusive nature surfaced, subjecting Yashasvini to distress. His demand that she convince her mother to sleep with him became the breaking point.

When she sought refuge at her parental home, Loknath pursued her, issuing dire threats. The mother-daughter duo, cornered and desperate, decided to eliminate him. Seizing an opportunity, they laced his meal with sedatives and lured him to a deserted location. As he grew groggy from alcohol and drugs, Hema arrived and stabbed him. Staggering, he ran but collapsed inside a parked auto-rickshaw, where bystanders found him lifeless.

DCP Saidulu Adavath confirmed that Yashasvini had discovered Loknath’s extramarital affairs and refused reconciliation.