A retired ISRO team leader, Nageshwar Rao , allegedly strangled his wife Sandhya Sri to death with a towel at their residence in The Virtuoso senior living community, on Wednesday morning.
Rao attacked his wife while she was preparing lunch in the kitchen around 10:15-11 AM. After she collapsed, he sat near her body for about 20 minutes before calling a neighbor, confessing, “Come home immediately, I have killed my wife.” The neighbor initially dismissed it as a joke but rushed over, summoned a doctor who declared her dead, and alerted police. Rao confessed to officers upon arrival and was arrested.
The accused told police he was haunted by fears of who would care for his wife after his death, as they had no close relatives in Bengaluru. He reportedly said: “If I die, who will take care of her? We have no relatives here. I did not want her to suffer alone.” He was undergoing treatment for depression and mental distress, with officers noting incoherent responses during questioning and signs of psychological disturbance. He allegedly planned suicide after the act but did not proceed.
Police have registered a murder case and are investigating his mental health history. No other motives have been identified.
