Death of Udupi man after brief illness turns out to be murder by wife, lover from social media

Udupi police arrested Balakrishna’s wife, Prathima Balakrishna, 30, and her lover, Dileep Hegde, 30, on the same day. The arrest followed a confession extracted by Prathima’s brother, Sandeep, who suspected she was involved in a relationship with another man.

A case of murder and criminal conspiracy was filed against Prathima and Hegde based on a complaint from Salyan’s brother, Ramakrishna.

“The investigation has revealed that the victim was slowly poisoned over time by his wife, with the poison allegedly supplied by her friend,” said Udupi police.

The probe also found that on the morning of October 20, Balakrishna was suffocated to death with a pillow at home by his wife and Hegde, who had arrived at the house around 1.30 am. CCTV footage reportedly shows Hegde near the residence at that time.

According to the complaint, Salyan, a hotel employee, had been suffering from fever and vomiting for over 25 days and was initially taken to Rotary Hospital in Karkala. He was diagnosed with jaundice and later transferred to KMC Hospital, Manipal, Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru, and finally to Nimhans and Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru. However, he did not recover and returned home to Ajekar on the night of October 19. He died at around 3:30 a.m. on October 20.

“Balakrishna’s wife, Prathima, was known to be friendly with Dilip Hegde of Hirgana. After Balakrishna’s sudden death, her brother Sandeep became suspicious and questioned her,” the complaint states.

According to the police, Sandeep pressured Prathima into confessing her relationship with Hegde. She reportedly admitted that Hegde, a wealthy man, provided her with poison, which she mixed into Balakrishna’s food daily.

She also confessed that Hegde came to the house around 1.30 am on October 20, after all relatives had left. Together, they suffocated Balakrishna and tried to pass it off as a death caused by illness, the police said.

The investigation further revealed that Prathima, who ran a beauty parlour, and her husband lived a modest life. However, Prathima, who was married at 18, desired a more luxurious lifestyle.

Prathima was active on social media and frequently posted glamorous videos. Earlier posts often featured her husband, where they appeared happy and in love. She reportedly met Hegde on Instagram through her videos and developed a relationship with him over the past year.

Both Prathima’s family and her husband’s family suspected the relationship, and efforts had been made to get her to end it, the police said.