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Young woman found dead in Chikkaballapura, Police probe alleged relationship with married cousin

Preliminary findings indicate that the woman, a native of Ramakrishnapura village in Bagepalli taluk, may have died by suicide, the Chikkaballapur police said.

2 min readUpdated: Jan 9, 2026 09:04 AM IST

The police said Krishna had allegedly arranged a separate house for her in the village, where the relationship reportedly continued.

A 21-year-old woman, working with a prominent private company, was found dead under suspicious circumstances at her rented accommodation in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur district on Wednesday night, prompting the police to investigate allegations of a long-standing relationship with her married cousin, officials said.

Although preliminary findings indicate that the woman identified as Ramalakshmi, a native of Ramakrishnapura village in Bagepalli taluk, may have died by suicide, the police have launched an investigation to probe the allegations.

Her cousin, Krishna, who is already married has a son, has gone missing and the police have launched a search operation to trace him. “Only after the post-mortem report and tracking down of Krishna, would we know the exact reason for her death,” the police said on Thursday.

The exact cause of death will be confirmed only after further investigation.

The police said that Krishna and Ramalakshmi belonged to the same extended family as their fathers — Ravanappa and Anjanappa — are brothers; and the couple were allegedly in a relationship for nearly three years before Krishna’s marriage.

Investigators stated that Ramalakshmi returned to Ramakrishnapura and Krishna remained in Bagepalli town, following mounting family pressure against their relationship. During this period, Krishna reportedly married another woman.

However, Krishna and Ramalakshmi allegedly resumed living together as husband and wife at a rented house in Peresandra village in Chikkaballapur amid opposition from both families.

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The police said Krishna had allegedly arranged a separate house for her in the village, where the relationship reportedly continued.

Following the incident, the police registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) at the Peresandra station.

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