Elderly woman went to recover loan, killed and dumped near rail track in Karnataka

2 min readBengaluruUpdated: Jul 1, 2026 08:44 PM IST

The police said Girija joined the search for her victim to avoid raising suspicion. (File Photo)

A 75-year-old woman who left home to recover a Rs 20,000 loan from a neighbour was allegedly strangled, her jewellery stolen, and her body dumped near a railway track by the borrower and her friend in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district, the police said on Wednesday.

The Ramanagara rural police arrested Girija, 36, and her friend Mahesh, 42, in connection with the murder of Sushilamma, a resident of Sangabasavanadoddi village.

According to the police, Sushilamma left her house on June 15 after telling her family that she was going to collect the Rs 20,000 that Girija had borrowed from her. When she did not return, her family searched for her and later filed a missing complaint. The police said Girija joined the search to avoid raising suspicion.

On June 21, Sushilamma’s decomposed body was found near a railway track on the outskirts of the village. Her family noticed that the 39 grams of gold jewellery she regularly wore was missing and suspected foul play, following which another complaint was lodged.

During the investigation, the police found that an argument broke out at Girija’s house, and she strangled the elderly woman. Girija then called Mahesh, who allegedly helped her place the body in a gunny bag and dump it near the railway track in an attempt to destroy evidence. The two also allegedly stole Sushilamma’s gold ornaments.

The police said they recovered the stolen jewellery.

“We examined the victim’s movements before she went missing and gathered technical and circumstantial evidence, which led us to the accused. Further investigation is in progress,” a senior police officer said.