‘Never gave anaesthesia’: Big twist in Bengaluru dermatologist murder; accused ‘tight-lipped’, cops probe another woman’s role

BENGALURU: Police probing the death of dermatologist Dr Kritika M Reddy (28) have intensified their investigation after arresting her husband, Dr Mahendra Reddy G S (31), a surgical resident at the Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant (IGOT).

Mahendra, accused of murdering his wife by allegedly administering an anaesthetic overdose in April, was arrested from Manipal earlier this week and brought to Bengaluru.




He has been remanded in nine days of police custody, during which investigators are focusing on how he procured the drug and what his motive was.

A senior officer said, “Mahendra is tight-lipped. He claims he never administered the drug. We are still investigating.”

Police on Thursday conducted a mahazar (spot inspection) at his Gunjur residence and seized laptops, mobile phones, and other electronic items, which have been sent to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) for data retrieval.

“The FSL report earlier confirmed the presence of Propofol, an intravenous anaesthetic, in Kritika’s viscera, which turned the case from an unnatural death into a murder probe,” the officer added.

Investigators are also looking into rumours about Mahendra’s closeness to another woman, apart from verifying his explanation that Kritika had been unwell with gastrointestinal issues.

“Gastroenteritis is not a major health issue — we suspect he is concealing the real reason,” the officer said.

Kritika died on April 24, two months after the couple’s wedding. Her family later filed a complaint accusing Mahendra of administering the lethal injection under the pretext of treatment.