Mysuru: Krishnaraja police have registered an FIR against four people following a complaint by a 73-year-old Bengaluru man, who has raised suspicions over the death of his wife in Mysuru 28 years ago. He has also alleged that her property and financial assets were later misused.

The complaint was filed by Prasad NN, a resident of Basaveshwara Nagar in Bengaluru. According to the complaint, Prasad married Mysuru resident Padmaja in 1988. She died on December 29, 1998, while she was visiting her parents’ house in Mysuru.

The case has now been registered nearly three decades after her death, following allegations that the circumstances surrounding it were suspicious and that certain assets in Padmaja’s name may have been improperly used.

Husband raises doubts over Padmaja’s death

According to the FIR, Prasad said he was informed by well-wishers and relatives that Padmaja had been healthy when she visited her parents’ home. Based on what he was told, he came to suspect that her death may not have been natural.

The complainant has alleged that he subsequently learnt from one of his wife’s family members that information about Padmaja’s death had allegedly been kept from him for unlawful gains. These are allegations made in the complaint and will have to be established through the police investigation.

Padmaja died on December 29, 1998, when she was at her parents’ residence in Mysuru. The FIR does not establish that she was killed or that any particular person was responsible for her death.

Allegations over financial assets

The complaint also contains allegations concerning financial assets held in Padmaja’s name.

Prasad told police that a PAN card had allegedly been obtained in his wife’s name and that a portion of dividends from shares held in her name had also been received. He said that he did not initially pursue the matter and later left for the United States.

The allegations have now become part of the police case as investigators examine whether any financial or property-related irregularities occurred after Padmaja’s death.

Prasad has also alleged that certain properties, ornaments and original documents belonging to his father-in-law were missing. He has suspected that these items may have been stolen or misused.

FIR registered against four persons

Based on the complaint, Krishnaraja police have registered a case against four persons under Sections 130, 318, 318(4), 319 and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

The registration of an FIR marks the beginning of a police investigation and does not by itself establish the allegations against the four accused. Police will have to examine the circumstances surrounding Padmaja’s death as well as the allegations concerning her assets and those of her family.

Investigators may also examine available records relating to the death and the ownership and management of the properties and financial assets mentioned in the complaint.

Case comes 28 years after death

The case has drawn attention because the complaint concerns an incident that occurred in 1998. Nearly 28 years have passed since Padmaja’s death, potentially making the investigation more challenging because of the passage of time.

Records, documents and other evidence connected to the death and subsequent handling of assets will be important to establishing what happened, while statements from people who had knowledge of the circumstances could also form part of the investigation.

For now, the police case is based on the allegations made by Prasad. The circumstances of Padmaja’s death and the claims regarding property and financial assets remain subject to investigation.

The Krishnaraja police are expected to examine the complaint and available evidence before determining the further course of action in the case.