Bengaluru police have confirmed that 34-year-old software engineer Sharmila was murdered by her neighbour, overturning initial reports that she died in a fire at her Subramanya Layout apartment on January 3. Investigators say the fire was deliberately started to conceal the crime.
Sharmila lived alone at the time, as her roommate was away. Firefighters found her unconscious in the flat late in the evening and rushed her to the hospital, where she was declared dead. Early police reports suggested she had died due to smoke inhalation.
However, a detailed forensic investigation and post-mortem report revealed injuries inconsistent with an accidental fire. Medical examiners found evidence of a struggle, and investigators concluded that Sharmila had been attacked before the fire was set.
Authorities arrested 18-year-old Karnal Kurai, a pre-university student and neighbour originally from Kodagu. Police allege that he entered Sharmila’s flat through a balcony window, demanded sexual favours, and, when resisted, held her mouth and nose, causing her to lose consciousness and die.
After the attack, the accused reportedly burned Sharmila’s bloodstained clothes to destroy evidence and took her mobile phone. The fire then spread within the flat, initially obscuring the violent cause of death.
Karnal Kurai has been remanded in police custody for three days as investigators continue to reconstruct the events and collect further evidence. The police are probing his motives and the possibility of premeditation in the murder.
