Written by: Express News Service
3 min readJan 22, 2026 04:37 PM IST
First published on: Jan 22, 2026 at 03:41 PM IST
The Shivamogga Police in Karnataka on Wednesday arrested a 44-year-old Ayurvedic doctor for allegedly murdering his elderly uncle and aunt by administering injections, reportedly after they refused to give him ₹15 lakh to clear his debts.
The victims have been identified as Chandrappa, 78, a retired employee of Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant (VISL), and his wife Jayamma, 75. The couple lived alone in their house at Bhutanagudi in Shivamogga district, while their three sons reside in different workplaces.
The incident occurred in the Bhutanagudi locality of Bhadravathi on January 19.
According to the police, the accused, Mallesh, who was the son of Chandrappa’s brother, was under severe financial stress and had demanded ₹15 lakh from the couple, purportedly to open a new clinic.
When they expressed their inability to arrange the sum, he allegedly killed them in the guise of providing medical treatment.
According to the complaint filed by their son Vishwanath, the family became alarmed on the morning of January 20 after repeated phone calls to the couple went unanswered. Vishwanath rushed to the house and found both parents lying unresponsive. While there were no visible injuries, fluid was coming out of Jayamma’s mouth and nose.
Initially registered as an unnatural death case, suspicion arose after family members noticed that several gold ornaments were missing from the house, including mangalya chains, bangles, rings, earrings, and other jewellery collectively weighing several hundred grams.
During the investigation, the police learned that Mallesh had visited the couple on January 19, claiming he had come to check on Jayamma’s health after his mother, who was in regular contact with her, expressed concern. The accused, who lived about 20 km away, reportedly stayed at the house for several hours that day.
The police said that during the visit, when Chandrappa refused to yield to Mallesh’s demand, the accused allegedly administered injections to the couple, leading to their deaths. He is also accused of stealing gold ornaments before fleeing the scene.
Mallesh lost his father a few years ago and was reportedly facing mounting financial pressure. Based on evidence collected during the probe, the police arrested him and registered a case under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 309(4) (robbery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Jayamma and her husband Chandrappa, a retired employee of VISL, who were found dead at their residence in Shivamogga district in Karnataka on Tuesday. . 
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