In the quiet senior living enclave of The Virtuoso in Bommenahalli, Bengaluru, a once-respected retired ISRO team leader ended decades of companionship in horror on February 18, 2026.
Nageshwar Rao, 65, allegedly used a bath towel to smother his wife Sandhya Shri, 63, while she prepared lunch in the kitchen around 10:15am.
The couple, originally from Andhra Pradesh and residents of the flat for three years, had no close relatives nearby, leaving their only daughter settled in the US.
Police from Avalahalli station, as reported by Times of India, confirmed Rao was undergoing treatment for depression and psychological issues.
After Sandhya collapsed, Rao sat beside her body for about 20 minutes in stunned silence.
He then called a neighbor, pleading urgently to come over because "he had killed his wife."
The neighbor initially dismissed it as a joke but rushed in upon repeated insistence.
Finding Sandhya motionless on the floor, the neighbor summoned the on-site doctor and ambulance, common in such senior communities.
The doctor declared her dead and alerted police, according to investigating officers.
When officers arrived, Rao sat calmly on the sofa and confessed without hesitation. "Yes, I killed her. I may not live more than 3-4 years from now. Who'll look after her after my death? We don't have close relatives in Bengaluru," he told them.
Police noted no prior major disputes, pointing instead to his mental distress and a planned suicide that he abandoned in panic after the killing.
Authorities arrested him on murder charges, probing his medical history amid reports he intended to end his own life post-act but faltered.
Their daughter has been informed and is en route from the US to Bengaluru.
Comments (0)
Please sign in to join the conversation.
Loading comments...