BENGALURU: A 30-year-old man allegedly bludgeoned his live-in partner to death with an

in front his neighbours in the wee hours of Saturday in KR Puram.

Venkatagiriyappa, 30, a farmer and tomato trader, and his partner, Shashikala, 26, were from Mulabagal in Kolar district. The couple, along with the woman's three-year-old daughter, rented a house at Lourdu Nagar in KR Puram eight months ago. They were posing as husband and wife.

Venkatagiriyappa, who suspected Shashikala of having an affair with another man, assaulted her on Wednesday night, said police.

happened in front of neighbours

"Neighbours intervened and tried to calm him down. But he assaulted Shashikala again at 2am Saturday. Neighbours rushed to Shashikala's rescue, but their house door was locked from inside.

The neighbours saw Venkatagiriyappa trying to strangle her through the window. They repeatedly pleaded with him not to kill her," said a police officer quoting one witnesses.

"Venkatagiriyappa rushed to the kitchen and Shashikala tried to walk towards the main door to open it. But before she could reach the door, he brought the LPG cylinder from the kitchen and hit her with it. She fell on the floor and he smashed her head with the cylinder," added the officer.

Police said the neighbours requested Venkatagiriyappa to open the door so that Shashikala could be rushed to a nearby hospital. But he told them that he would open the door only after police arrived.

At 3am, landlord Rayappa alerted jurisdictional KR Puram police, who rushed to the spot and arrested the accused.

Shashikala's child was fast asleep despite the commotion. "Venkatagiriyappa revealed during interrogation that he and Shashikala were not married. The court has sent him to judicial custody. We seized the cylinder and handed over the body to Shashikala's relatives," said another police officer.