What was initially considered a tragic house fire in east Bengaluru has now been uncovered as a brutal murder.
Police have arrested a second-year pre-university student, Karnal Kurai K, for the killing of 34-year-old software engineer Sharmila Kushalappa earlier this month. The accused allegedly smothered Sharmila after she resisted his advances and then set fire to her flat in a calculated attempt to destroy evidence.
Sharmila, a native of Mangaluru, worked with Accenture and lived alone in a rented flat in Subramanya Layout, Ramamurthynagar. On January 3, she was found unconscious inside her locked two-bedroom apartment after a fire broke out and was declared dead at the hospital. Initial reports suggested smoke inhalation, but further investigation proved otherwise.
The accused, Karnal Kurai K, a resident of Arasunagar, Virajpet, Kodagu district, lived with his mother in the same building next door to Sharmila’s flat. He has been arrested and remanded to three days of police custody.
Police said the investigation took a decisive turn after forensic and postmortem findings contradicted the accidental death theory. Injuries on Sharmila’s hands and signs of a struggle suggested foul play, while autopsy confirmed that she had been smothered before the fire started.
According to authorities, Karnal entered the flat through a sliding window at 9 pm, confronted Sharmila with unwanted advances, and smothered her when she resisted. He then allegedly set her clothes on fire to destroy evidence and escaped through the same window. Bloodstains on her clothes corroborated the assault, which later triggered the fire that spread across the flat.
The Ramamurthynagar police received initial suspicion from Sharmila’s friend, K Rohit, which prompted a deeper investigation. Officers emphasized that forensic and medical evidence was key in uncovering the murder.
Police continue to investigate the case and have confirmed that the accused has confessed to the crime.
