National Times Bureau :- In a shocking case that has shaken Bengaluru’s medical fraternity, a 32-year-old surgeon has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife, also a doctor, by administering a fatal dose of anesthesia under the guise of treatment. The accused, identified as Dr Mahendra Reddy, a general surgeon at Victoria Hospital, was taken into custody on October 14 after forensic reports confirmed the presence of anesthetic substances in his wife’s body.
The victim, Dr Kruthika Reddy, 28, was a dermatologist who had been married to Mahendra for less than a year. However, investigators say their relationship soured soon after, allegedly due to Mahendra’s discovery of undisclosed health issues in his wife.
According to investigators, Mahendra used his medical expertise and access to controlled drugs to plan and execute the crime with chilling precision. On April 21, he reportedly injected Kruthika with an intravenous dose, claiming it was meant to treat gastric discomfort. The next day, he took her to her parents’ residence in Marathahalli, telling them she needed rest.
Despite Kruthika’s complaints of pain and discomfort at the injection site, Mahendra advised her to leave the IV line untouched, even reiterating it over WhatsApp messages. On the night of April 23, he returned to administer another injection.
The following morning, April 24, Kruthika was found unresponsive. Though Mahendra was a trained surgeon, the police say he made no attempt to resuscitate her. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Initially treated as a natural death, the case took a dramatic turn when forensic and postmortem examinations revealed the presence of anesthetic agents in Kruthika’s body, substances typically used during surgeries.
The discovery led the police to reclassify the case from an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) to murder, following a complaint lodged by Kruthika’s father, K. Muni Reddy.
“Our daughter trusted him completely. We never imagined that her life would end this way,” Muni Reddy said, expressing deep grief and anger.
Police investigations indicate that Mahendra planned the murder meticulously, using his medical knowledge to conceal his actions. “He exploited his professional training to execute the crime and cover it up as a medical complication,” said DCP (Whitefield) M. Parashuram.
Even after her death, Mahendra allegedly maintained that Kruthika’s demise was due to an unforeseen medical episode, showing little to no emotion. However, evidence collected during the probe pointed towards deliberate intent.
He has been charged under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Before her death, Dr Kruthika was preparing to open her own dermatology clinic ‘Skin & Scalpel ; on May 4, just days after the tragedy. A former student of Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences, Navodaya Medical College, and NBEMS, she was known among her peers for her dedication and compassion.
“She was ambitious, hardworking, and kind. It’s tragic that her life was taken by someone she loved and trusted,” said one of her colleagues from Victoria Hospital.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh commended the investigative team for exposing what he termed a “murder masked as a medical tragedy.”
