A 32-year-old mother of two girls, Shruthi Gowda, committed suicide in a north Bengaluru lodge, hours after her lawyer-boyfriend Amith Keshavamurthy was shot dead on Friday.

Key Highlights The 32-year-old committed suicide hours after her boyfriend Amith was shot dead

A land developer and his son were picked up by police in connection with the murder

Amith was allegedly shot at when he was in a car with Shruthi Gowda on Friday

BENGALURU: A 32-year-old mother of two girls, Shruthi Gowda, committed suicide in a north Bengaluru lodge, hours after her lawyer-boyfriend Amith Keshavamurthy was shot dead on Friday.

Gopalkrishna, 78, a land developer in Kaggalipura, south Bengaluru, and his son, Rajesh Gowda, 33, were picked up by police in connection with the murder. Both claimed to have shot at Amith Keshavamurthy, 34, police sources said.

Amith, the father of a three-year-old boy and son of Nelamangala-based lawyer Keshavamurthy, was allegedly shot at when he was in a car with Shruthi Gowda, wife of Rajesh Gowda and panchayat development officer in Railway Gollahalli, in the afternoon near the Acharya Group of Institutions, close to Hesaraghatta. Earlier in the afternoon, Shruthi had left her Kaggalipura home in her white Swift car and drove to Madanayakanahalli on Tumakuru Road where she picked up Amith, a resident of MEI Layout, near Bagalgunte, Dasarahalli. Police sources suspect the duo was followed by Gopalkrishna and Rajesh in another car.

Shruthi and Amith drove to the Acharya Group of Institutions and parked their car by the roadside when the father-son duo accosted them. Rajesh is said to have kicked and banged on the car doors, asking his wife and her friend to come out.

Police said Gopalkrishna used his licensed revolver to shoot at Amith but they said it's not clear who exactly pulled the trigger. One bullet landed on the left side of Amith's chest and another in his right shoulder. Shruthi reportedly sped away with a profusely bleeding Amith and rushed to Sapthagiri Hospital, Hesaraghatta Main Road.

Police said Shruthi reached the hospital around 3.30pm and was asked by doctors to deposit some money, get medicines and arrange for blood. However, senior doctors are believed to have told Shruthi that Amith was dead.

When doctors declared Amith brought dead and hospital authorities alerted police, Shruthi is said to have vanished. She later called her natal family members in Kaggalipura and told them she was in Room No. 301 of Nesara Lodge on Hesaraghatta Main Road.Shruthi's family members rushed to the lodge.After repeated knocks on the door went unanswered, they got the hotel management to open the door. Shruthi was found hanging from ceiling fan by a bedsheet.

“Based on a complaint by Keshavamurthy, we registered a murder case. We took up a suicide case following Shruthi's death. We can conclude who shot at Amith only after investigation," DCP north Labhuram said.

Families ushered in New Year together

The families of Amith and Shruthi have no clue what hit them on Friday . As both youngsters with promising futures lay dead, they were too bewildered by the turn of events.“We don't know what went wrong. Both families celebrated New Year together at a party," said Venkamma, Amith's aunt. Keshavamurthy, a prominent lawyer of Nelamangala, was shocked. Unconfirmed reports said Keshavamurthy had recently quit the Janata Dal(S) and joined the Congress. He was an avid biker and practised in Bengaluru courts.

Shruthi, who was working as panchayat development officer in Railway Gollahalli did not go to work on Friday. She left home around 1.30pm. Unconfirmed reports said Shruthi's father-in-law and husband were waiting to catch her and Amith together and had even installed a GPS unit in her car.

