ARRESTED: Police escorting Gururaj Kishore out of the police station in Bangalore on Thursday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: The Bangalore police on Thursday arrested Gururaj Kishore, an employee of Aviva 24/7 business process outsourcing (BPO) unit, on the charge of murdering his colleague Tania Banerjee, whose body was found in Shiradi Ghats in Sakleshpur Rural police station limits in Hassan district on Wednesday.

The police said Kishore (27) was "madly in love" with Tania (32) and intended to marry her. But, he was angry with her as she reportedly moved with other men. He was also unhappy with her "high-society lifestyle".

After finishing their work at 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday, the two left their office in Kishore's car. While travelling, Kishore "strongly advised" Tania to "mend her ways". This led to a heated argument and Tania reportedly screamed at him saying, "I want my freedom, I want my space. Who are you to question me," and she slapped him, the police said after interrogating Kishore.

Kishore stopped the car near a commercial complex on C.V. Raman Road in Sadashivanagar, held Tania by her neck and repeatedly stabbed her in the abdomen, the police charged.

Commissioner of Police Neelam Achuta Rao told presspersons that after murdering Tania, Kishore took her body in his car and dumped it in Shiradi Ghats. On his way to Shiradi Ghats, to create an alibi, around 11.30 p.m. he sent an SMS from Tania's mobile phone to her two friends saying that she was going to Kolkata, he added.

Kishore told the police that three days ago he had purchased some grocery and a kitchen knife for his house.

He claimed that he had given the grocery to his mother and had kept the knife in his car, Mr. Achuta Rao said.

After dumping the body, he had thrown away the knife and Tania's mobile phone. The police are yet to recover them. The case registered in Sakleshpur Rural police station is likely to be transferred to the Sadashivanagar police station in Bangalore as the murder occurred in its limits.

Kishore, a resident of Rajajinagar, had worked as a laboratory assistant in some hospitals in the city before shifting to the BPO sector. His mother is a retired schoolteacher.

He had purchased the high-end car after obtaining loan from a bank.

He said Tania used to pay for the fuel as she often used the car for her transport, the Commissioner said.

After autopsy, Tania's body has been kept at the M.S. Ramaiah Hospital mortuary. Her father, Kalidas Banerjee, a resident of Howrah in West Bengal, is likely to arrive here on Friday.

Hassan Staff Correspondent writes:

According to the autopsy report, Tania's body bore 35 stab wounds and 14 of them were between the chest and the abdomen. Her lungs had been punctured and kidneys damaged. She was not sexually assaulted.

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