Vidya, a Bengaluru woman enduring years of abuse, named her killers in a chilling dying declaration. Her husband Basavaraj and father-in-law Mariswamachari, who injected her with mercury obtained from a lab technician couple, leading to her death after nine months of organ failure.
On the night of February 26, Vidya went to sleep but regained consciousness the next evening in agony. Her right thigh was swollen, causing severe pain and difficulty walking. She visited Attibele Government Hospital on March 7, where tests detected a metallic substance. Referred to Oxford Hospital, doctors confirmed mercury poisoning through scans and surgery, with samples verifying the toxin. The poison had spread, damaging multiple organs including her kidneys.
Before her condition turned critical, Vidya recorded her statement with police. She accused a lab technician couple from SLN Diagnostic Centre—wife Swetha and unnamed husband—of supplying the materials: “They gave my husband chloroform, syringes and Mercury.” Basavaraj drugged her with chloroform while she slept, then injected the mercury with his father’s help, intending to kill her.
Vidya detailed relentless harassment: Basavaraj called her “mad,” locked her indoors, denied visits to relatives, and hurled daily abuse. His father joined in the humiliation and neglect. The couple has a four-year-old child. Vidya was treated at Oxford for over a month, then shifted to Victoria Hospital for dialysis, but remained critical until her death.
Police have charged Basavaraj and Mariswamachari with murder. The lab couple is under investigation.
