Bantwal: A 34-year-old woman allegedly died after being assaulted by her husband following marital disputes at Vagga in Bantwal. The Bantwal Rural police have registered a murder case and taken the accused into custody for questioning.

The deceased has been identified as Sunita Mahadev Desangi (34), who was residing with her husband, Sanjeevkumar (36), at Vagga. Sanjeevkumar is a native of Jamkhandi in Bagalkot district.

The case came to light after Sunita’s brother, Arun Mahadev Desangi (26), a resident of Athani in Belagavi district, lodged a complaint with the police alleging that his sister had been assaulted and killed by her husband.

Marital disputes reportedly preceded incident

According to the complaint, Sunita and Sanjeevkumar had been experiencing marital disputes, and relatives had intervened in an attempt to resolve their differences through reconciliation.

Sunita had been staying at her parental home following childbirth. On October 4, her husband reportedly brought her back to their residence in Bantwal.

However, tensions allegedly continued between the couple after she returned to Vagga.

On October 22, Sunita reportedly contacted her brother over the phone and informed him that her husband was harassing and assaulting her. The information shared during the call has become a key part of the complaint filed by her brother.

Brother finds Sunita dead at residence

According to the complaint, on the morning of October 23, Sanjeevkumar contacted Arun and informed him that Sunita’s health had deteriorated and that she was being taken to hospital.

Arun subsequently arrived and checked on his sister, only to find that she had died. On examining her body, he allegedly noticed injuries that appeared to have been caused by an assault, along with traces of blood.

Suspecting foul play, Arun lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that his brother-in-law had assaulted Sunita during a domestic dispute.

The complaint alleges that the fatal assault took place during the night of October 22 and the early hours of October 23.

The circumstances surrounding Sunita’s death are now being investigated by the Bantwal Rural police.

Murder case registered under BNS

Based on the complaint, the Bantwal Rural police registered a case under Crime No. 142/2026 under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deals with the offence of murder.

The accused, Sanjeevkumar, has been taken into custody and is being questioned in connection with the case.

Police stated that the accused would be produced before the court. Further investigation is under way to establish the circumstances leading to Sunita’s death and verify the allegations made in the complaint.

The allegations against the accused are subject to investigation and judicial proceedings.