Bengaluru: The police claim that they have come across a message sent by Bengaluru surgeon Mahendra Reddy to his lover moments after he allegedly killed his wife Kruthika with a lethal dose of anaesthetics on April 23 this year. Kruthika was also a doctor and the couple worked at a hospital in the city.
Mahendra has since been arrested.
According to NDTV, forensic analysis of his phone revealed a chilling message he sent to his lover shortly after the crime. The message, sent via a digital payment app, read: “I killed my wife for you.”
It has been reported that the 32-year-old general surgeon was in a relationship with the woman who received the message. The police have questioned her since and recorded her statement. Her identity hasn’t been disclosed though.
Mahendra allegedly planned the crime meticulously, using his medical expertise and Kruthika’s health issues, the police said. He was arrested six months after the alleged murder after his father-in-law registered a complaint with the police.
The two got married on May 26, 2024. During the investigation, the police apparently came to know that Mahendra was upset after learning that his wife was suffering from long-standing gastric and metabolic disorders, information that had not been shared with him before the marriage. Thereafter, the relationship between the two soured.
“He was aware of her medical vulnerabilities and used his professional knowledge to exploit them. The evidence shows deliberate and precise use of anaesthetic drugs,” Whitefield DCP M Parashuram said.
Mahendra allegedly killed his wife by administering a fatal dose of anaesthesia. He was arrested after forensic examination confirmed that Kruthika had died from respiratory failure caused by anaesthetic substances.
According to the police, Kruthika was staying at her father’s house in Bengaluru’s Marathahalli when she fell unconscious owing to fatigue and illness. Mahendra, during this time, visited her under the pretext of providing medical care. He then administered intravenous (IV) injections containing anaesthetic agents to her over two days. Kruthika again fell unconscious on April 23, 2025 and was taken to a private hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
Her family initially accepted that she had died of natural causes. Her sister Nikhita Reddy, also a doctor, however, insisted on finding out the exact cause of Kruthika’s death and an Unnatural Death report was filed based on the hospital memo.
Mahendra was arrested from Manipal after the forensics reports came in.
