GUWAHATI: A man from Karnataka who had spent nearly two years behind bars for allegedly murdering his wife was left stunned when she recently appeared alive in a Mysuru court.
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The woman, Mallige, who had been presumed dead, was taken into custody on April 1 after she was found staying with another man in a hotel in Madikeri.
The case traces back to December 2020, when Suresh, a 35-year-old daily wage labourer from a tribal community in Basavanahalli village of Kushalnagar Taluk, Kodagu District, filed a missing person report for his wife. Mallige had disappeared in 2019 and could not be contacted despite several attempts.
Incidentally, in June 2021, police recovered skeletal remains, along with clothing and footwear, near Bettadapura in Periyapatna Taluk. On the basis of assumption and without any forensic confirmation, the remains were identified as Mallige’s. Suresh was arrested soon after and accused of murdering his wife over an alleged extramarital affair.
Following his arrest, the police filed a chargesheet before receiving DNA test results. Suresh was imprisoned for nearly two years before being released when the forensic report confirmed that the remains were not genetically linked to Mallige’s family. Despite his release, the identity of the deceased remains unknown.
The case took a dramatic turn recently, when Mallige was spotted by Suresh’s friends in Madikeri. She was later detained by police and produced before a court in Mysuru. During her statement, she reportedly admitted to leaving voluntarily, remarrying, and residing in Shettihalli village, located just 25 to 30 km from her original home.
The court, during the hearing, raised serious questions about the investigation, asking why a chargesheet was filed without awaiting DNA results and what efforts were made to verify the identity of the recovered skeleton.
The Superintendent of Police has been directed to submit a report on the same by April 17.
