On the morning of August 28, a girl called the Bengaluru police, sounding extremely panicked. She informed them that someone had killed her friend, and the body was lying right beside her in bed. This was a very strange situation. A body beside her in bed, and she had no idea who had taken the life of the friend sleeping next to her. As soon as she hung up, the police rushed to the address she provided.
House number 741, Second Floor, First Block, SMV Layout, Kengeri Suburb, Bengaluru. As the tip suggested, the crime scene looked exactly what was described. In the bedroom of the house was indeed a young woman's body. There were knife wounds on her neck and the bed was soaked in blood. The girl who made the call stood there, visibly terrified.
A crowd had already gathered around the scene. The deceased was identified as 25-year-old Navyashree. Navyashree was not just an incredibly charming and cheerful woman, but also a dance instructor connected to the Kannada film industry, known as Sandalwood. But the burning question remained: who could have ended the life of such a happy-go-lucky girl? And that too, in such a brutal manner, right inside her own house? Who was behind it?
How Did the Killer Enter the Sealed Apartment While the Friend Slept?
Adding to the bizarreness was the fact that Navyashree was in the house with her friend Aishwarya, and both were sleeping in the same bed. So, how did Aishwarya not notice this crime happening? It was equally puzzling how the killer managed to enter the house quietly during the night, kill Navyashree, and leave without being detected. Why did no one hear Navyashree scream or raise an alarm?
These questions continuously nagged the police. Nonetheless, they began to piece together the story by questioning the complainant Aishwarya, the sole witness. Aishwarya shared that she and Navyashree had been friends since childhood and grew up together in Bhadravathi, Shivamogga district, Karnataka. Recently, both had been living in Bengaluru. About three years ago, Navyashree fell in love with a boy named Kiran.
Soon, they married, and Navyashree moved to Bengaluru with her husband to pursue her career as a dance instructor. However, in recent days, her relationship with Kiran had soured to the point where Navyashree felt threatened by him. On the morning of August 27, around 9 AM, Navyashree called Aishwarya, asking her to come over.
Source: aajtak
Why Did Navyashree Feel Unsafe Even in Her Own Home?
According to Aishwarya, Navyashree expressed that she felt unsafe in her own home, hence she called Aishwarya to spend some time with her to feel a bit better. After Navyashree’s call, Aishwarya reached her place at around 4:30 PM. Aishwarya mentioned that after arriving, they contacted a mutual friend named Anil and invited him over. Following this, Navyashree drove Aishwarya in her car from SMV Layout to PR Nagar where they picked up Anil, and the three spent several hours together.
Navyashree was evidently very troubled and wanted to discuss her safety concerns with Aishwarya and Anil. Aishwarya informed the police, “Navyashree was having issues with her husband Kiran. He was often suspicious of her, leading to frequent arguments. On Tuesday, after a fight with Kiran, Navyashree asked me to come over, stating that she did not feel safe neither at home nor outside. Being childhood friends from Bhadravathi, I immediately went to her place.”
“We then went out, spent some time together, and met our friend Anil, who advised Navyashree to approach the police regarding her concerns. However, before she could act on this advice, she was murdered. She was a very dear friend of mine.” Essentially, Navyashree met with Anil seeking a solution to her problems, and Anil recommended she go to the police to file a complaint.
Friend's Claim of Sleeping Through the Night Raises Doubts
Anil suggested that if the police intervened and warned Kiran, it might deter him from mistreating her in the future. After this conversation on August 27, the three friends had dinner outside and then returned to Navyashree's home in SMV Layout, leaving Anil. With tensions high between her and Kiran, her husband wasn’t home that night.
Aishwarya decided to stay the night at Navyashree’s house, and the two friends slept together. In her police statement, Aishwarya claimed to remember nothing of the night. She explained that after dinner, she had also had drinks, which led her to a deep sleep. When she went to bed, she fell into a deep slumber quickly. However, when she woke up in the morning, she noticed the bed was wet, stained with blood. When she awoke, she saw her friend Navyashree lying lifeless beside her, her throat slashed.
Source: aajtak
Aishwarya told the police, “I woke up at 6 AM on Thursday. The bed felt damp, as if there had been a wetting accident. But on closer inspection, I saw it was soaked in blood. Navyashree was beside me, lifeless, her throat cut, and the bed was saturated with her blood. I was horrified. Just hours ago, we were talking and sleeping next to each other, and in the morning, she lay dead with her throat slit. It felt like a nightmare to me..”
How Did the Police Suspect the Husband?
However, Aishwarya’s statement also puzzled the police. They questioned how her friend could be murdered right beside her without her even noticing. The police pressed her on how she failed to hear any screams or notice any commotion during the night. Aishwarya attributed it to her heavy intoxication, stating she was in such a deep sleep that she heard nothing.
During the investigation, the police discovered that both Kiran and Navyashree had a set of keys to the house, as their jobs often required them to return home at different times. The fact that the killer managed to enter the house, kill Navyashree, and leave without disturbing Aishwarya pointed toward Kiran being involved.
Given that Navyashree had last expressed feeling threatened by no one other than her husband Kiran, it was very likely that Kiran used a duplicate key to silently enter the house, commit the murder, and leave. The entire sequence of events made it clear that Navyashree’s killer was likely her husband Kiran. Following the reveal of this information, the police tracked Kiran using his phone’s location and other surveillance methods, leading to his arrest.
Source: aajtak
...But the Story Isn't Over Yet, Many Mysteries Remain
The story doesn’t end here. Some sources suggested that on the night of the crime, the killer first tied Navyashree to a chair within the house, tortured her, and then slit her throat. Aishwarya’s statement, however, indicated that she found her friend’s body next to her on the bed, soaked in blood. If we assume, for a moment, that the killer silenced Navyashree by slashing her throat in her sleep, it still raises the question of how Aishwarya didn't wake up.
According to another theory, if Navyashree was tortured within the house, her screams or struggle should have woken up Aishwarya. However, this did not happen either. So, while it might seem like an open-and-shut case with Kiran being arrested as the prime suspect, it’s more complex than it appears. The murder of a dance instructor connected to the film industry under such circumstances remains a mystery. Did Kiran act alone that night?
Or was there someone else involved? This aspect remains unclear. Experts are also exploring whether it’s possible to be in such a deep sleep due to alcohol that one wouldn’t notice a murder happening right next to them. Many questions remain unanswered, and the mystery continues.
