'I killed my wife for you': Bengaluru doctor to lover weeks after murder
The message, which said "I killed my wife for you", was found on Mahendra's phone. He allegedly killed his wife by administering a fatal dose of anaesthesia.
Bengaluru surgeon Mahendra Reddy has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife, Kruthika Reddy.
According to an NDTV report citing officials, forensic analysis of his phone revealed a chilling message he sent to his lover shortly after the crime. The message, sent via a digital payment app, read: “I killed my wife for you.”
The 32-year-old general surgeon was reportedly in a relationship with the woman who received the message. Police have since questioned her and recorded her statement, though her identity has not been disclosed.
Accused surgeon used medical expertise to plan murder
Police said that the accused surgeon, who was arrested six months after the murder, had planned the crime meticulously using his medical expertise and his wife's health vulnerabilities.
Mahendra had allegedly become upset after learning that his wife was suffering from long-standing gastric and metabolic disorders, information which had not been known to him before the marriage. The couple had married on May 26, 2024. Police said that their marraige had deteriorated quickly.
“He knew her medical vulnerabilities and used his professional knowledge to exploit them. The evidence shows deliberate and precise use of anaesthetic drugs,” Whitefield DCP M. Parashuram said.
Mahendra allegedly killed his wife by administering a fatal dose of anaesthesia. He was arrested after forensic confirmation that Kruthika had died from respiratory failure caused by anaesthetic substances.
Mahendra administered anesthesia through IV
Kruthika was reportedly staying at her father's house in Bengaluru's in Marathahalli when she fell unconscious owing to fatigue and illness. Mahendra, during this time, visited her under the pretext of providing medical care.
He then administered intrevenous (IV) injections containing anaesthetic agents to her over two days. Kruthika again became unconscious on April 23, 2025 and was taken to a private hospital, where she was declared to be “brought dead”.
Kruthika's family initially accepted that she had died of natural causes. However, her sister Dr Nikitha Reddy insisted on finding out the cause of death, thus leading to the police filing an Unnatural Death Report based on the hospital memo.