Shivamogga, 21 Jan

Shivamogga police on Wednesday arrested a doctor for murdering an elderly couple by administering a high dose of anaesthetic at their residence in the Bhootanagudi area of the city.

The victims, Chandrappa, 80, a retired employee of the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant, and his wife Jayamma, 70, were found dead under mysterious circumstances with no visible injury marks. None of their three children was living with them.

The crime came to light on Tuesday when the couple failed to come out for their routine walk. After repeated phone calls went unanswered, neighbours entered the house and found Chandrappa dead in the bedroom and Jayamma’s body in the hall.

Initially believed to be natural deaths, suspicions were raised after the couple’s son complained. Police investigations revealed that the accused, Dr Mallesh, Chandrappa’s nephew, had visited the house on Monday. Mallesh, who worked at a hospital in Shivamogga and was recently dismissed for misconduct, was reportedly inspired by a similar crime committed earlier by a doctor at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru.

Police said Mallesh was heavily in debt and had sought a loan of Rs 15 lakh from Chandrappa, which was refused. Angered, he planned the murders to rob the couple.

Under the pretext of treating their knee pain, Mallesh administered 50mg of propofol, causing an instant drop in blood pressure, leading to death. He then fled after stealing around 80g of gold ornaments and cash