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Karnataka MLA’s wife found dead in Delhi flat

Padmapriya Bhat

NEW DELHI: Thirty-two-year-old Padmapriya Bhat, wife of Udupi MLA K. Raghupati Bhat, was found hanging in a flat at Dwarka here on Sunday. Ms. Bhat had been missing since this past Wednesday.

A Karnataka police team arrived in the Capital over the weekend and informed the local police that Ms. Bhat was staying in Shama Apartments in Sector 10 of Dwarka sub-city. A joint police team reached the given address on Sunday morning and rang the door bell, but there was no response. “When the police broke open the door, Ms. Bhat was found hanging from a ceiling fan and there was no one inside the flat. The television was on,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West) Shalini Singh. Unconfirmed reports said Ms. Bhat had taken the flat on rent about three days ago.

Ms. Bhat had reportedly taken her car from her husband’s house in Udupi to go to her mother’s place at Karnad near Mulki this past Wednesday. Her car was later found abandoned below the Kunjargiri Hill in Kunjagiri village in the Shirva police station limits on Friday. A cell phone, some broken bangles, a bag containing about Rs.10,000 in cash were found in the car.

Our Udupi Correspondent reports:

According to Udupi Superintendent of Police Devajyothi Ray, the door of the flat was broken open in the presence of her husband and her brother. He said the New Delhi police would have to conduct the inquest and prepare the enquiry report. Then the Udupi district police would take over the investigation.

Asked if there was any suicide note left by Ms. Bhat, he said a search was still on. The flat was located with the help of Athul Rao, an engineer in Udupi and a friend of Mr. Bhat’s family, Mr. Ray said.

Mr. Bhat is a two-time MLA from Udupi. The couple have two sons — Rahul and Rohan. Rahul is in Class IV and Rohan in Class II.

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