MYSURU– Police in Karnataka’s Mysuru district have arrested a woman who poisoned her husband and attempted to stage his death as a tiger attack in order to claim government compensation.
The incident occurred in Chikkahejjur village of Hunsuru taluk. Authorities identified the accused as Sallapuri and the victim as her 45-year-old husband, Venkataswamy. Both worked as laborers in local areca nut fields.
Investigators said Sallapuri concocted her plan after hearing that families of victims killed by wild animals could receive up to Rs 15 lakh in compensation. Seizing on recent reports of a tiger sighting in nearby Hejjur village, she decided to kill her husband and attribute the death to a tiger.
According to police, Sallapuri initially claimed her husband had gone missing and was likely killed and dragged away by the animal. Forest and police officials launched a joint search but found no tiger tracks due to heavy rain. Suspicion grew when Venkataswamy’s body was later discovered hidden in a cow dung pile behind the couple’s home.
Confronted by investigators, Sallapuri confessed. She admitted to lacing her husband’s food with poison, dragging his body to the rear of the house, and concealing it in the dung heap. She further told police she accompanied search teams into the forest to maintain her deception, even claiming to have heard a tiger roar nearby.
Police confirmed that Sallapuri acted alone and took advantage of widespread fear of the tiger’s presence to cover up her crime. The Hunasuru Rural Police Station has taken over the case, and further investigation is underway. (Source: IANS)
