‘If you won’t return…’: Bengaluru man kills wife in front of kids

2 min readBengaluruJun 16, 2026 01:47 PM IST

Manjula, a Home Guard, had been living separately from Pradeep, along with their two children, since January. Pradeep had recently lost Rs 7-8 lakh in online betting.

A 38‑year‑old auto rickshaw driver allegedly murdered his wife by stabbing her multiple times in front of their children at her parental home in Bengaluru on Sunday evening.

The victim, Manjula, 34, was a home guard at Mahadevapura police station and a resident of B Narayanapura. The accused, her husband Pradeep, has been arrested.

According to the police, Manjula and Pradeep had been married for 15 years. Pradeep was allegedly addicted to alcohol and had recently lost Rs 7-8 lakh in online betting. Manjula had filed for divorce. She had been living separately from Pradeep, along with their two children, since January, the police added.

Saidulu Adavath, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield Division), said the incident occurred around 8.30 pm.

Manjula’s mother told the media that when she and her son returned home around 8 pm on Sunday, they saw Pradeep in their house. He claimed he wanted to apologise and persuade Manjula to return home. On the pretext of falling at her feet, he allegedly grabbed her legs, pulled out a knife hidden inside his jacket, and stabbed her repeatedly. Manjula was rushed to a nearby government hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

According to the police, Pradeep had recorded a video before the attack. “I can’t live without you. If you won’t return, I’ll kill you,” he purportedly said in the clip. He also expressed regret over his online betting addiction, saying it had destroyed his family and left his wife and children homeless. After stabbing Manjula, Pradeep tried to harm himself before fleeing, the police said.

The Mahadevapura police registered a murder case and arrested Pradeep.