Bengaluru, Oct 16: In a chilling case that has shocked the medical community, a 31-year-old city-based surgeon has been arrested for the alleged murder of his wife by administering a lethal overdose of an anaesthetic.

The accused, Dr Mahendra Reddy G S, a surgical resident at the Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant (IGOT), was taken into police custody on Tuesday after a forensic report confirmed the presence of Propofol in his wife's viscera samples.

The victim, Dr Kritika M Reddy, a 28-year-old dermatologist at Victoria Hospital, died on April 24. The case took a dramatic turn from an "unnatural death" to a "cold-blooded murder" after the autopsy report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) came out.

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"The FSL report clearly defined the presence of Propofol, an intravenous anaesthetic used to induce unconsciousness for surgery," stated City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh.  Following the report, the victim's father, K Muni Reddy, filed a fresh complaint, accusing his son-in-law of administering the overdose to kill his daughter.

According to the investigation, Mahendra had moved a critically unwell Kritika to Cauvery Hospital in Marathahalli, claiming she had fallen unconscious at their Munnekolal residence in Whitefield. However, doctors declared her brought dead.

A pivotal moment in the investigation was Mahendra's desperate attempts to obstruct the autopsy. As the doctors had issued a death memo, an autopsy was imperative. Despite this, Mahendra pleaded with both Cauvery Hospital and the police, asking them to refrain from the procedure. He also coerced his father-in-law to make a similar plea to the authorities. The police, however, proceeded with the autopsy.

ACP (east) Ramesh Banoth stated, "According to the husband, he was trying to treat his wife, who was suffering from gastrointestinal issues for a long time."

Police sources revealed that the accused was reportedly disturbed by Kritika's ill-health, which he discovered soon after their marriage. He was also allegedly angry with her parents for concealing the truth about her medical condition.

Mahendra has been remanded to seven days of police custody as the investigation continues.

Written by: Saijyoti Banita Priyadarshini