With 1,211 murders, Karnataka witnessed decline in cases in 2025

Mysuru: Karnataka witnessed 1,211 murders in 2025, including 18 in Mysuru City, with disputes and personal enmity emerging as the major triggers, even as overall murder cases in the state continued to decline.According to data presented by home minister G Parameshwara in the Assembly during the recent session, in response to a question by Chamarajanagar MLA Puttarangashetty, a total of 1,211 murders were reported across the state in 2025.Police records show a steady decline in murders over the years — from 1,404 cases in 2022 to 1,322 in 2023, 1,228 in 2024, and 1,211 in 2025. Disputes accounted for the highest number of cases, followed by personal enmity and illicit relationships.Mysuru City too reported a drop in murders, from 23 cases in 2021 to 18 in 2025. The city recorded 25 murders in 2022, 30 in 2023, and 22 in 2024.Mysuru City Commissioner of Police Seema Latkar told TOI that several cases were linked to quarrels where minor provocations escalated to fatal violence. Police also registered murders arising from civil and family disputes, particularly property-related conflicts. Dowry-related violence led to three murders in 2025.Killings linked to adultery and lover intrigue accounted for four cases in Mysuru City that year.High-profile incidentsPolice also highlighted a rape-and-murder case involving a minor girl, reported days after the Mysuru Dasara celebrations in October 2025 — a crime that heightened public anxiety.Two youths were murdered due to personal enmity: Karthik in Mysuru and Venkatesha, near Doddakere Maidan in Mysuru CityIn another case, a jilted lover was detained for killing a 20-year-old mother in a lodge in Saligrama, Mysuru district, using an electrical object.District-level patternAdditional Superintendent of Police C Mallik said disputes, dowry demands, illicit relationships, drunken brawls, and property quarrels remained the most common motives behind murders reported in the district.Police sources noted that the diversity of motives indicates that most murders are not premeditated, but arise from volatile disputes, unresolved enmity, and broader socio-economic tensions.BOXIn Mysuru cityYear: no of murders2021: 232022: 25 2023: 30: 2024: 22 2025: 18 (Sources Mysuru city police)