Bengaluru: In a movie script style, a young doctor in Bengaluru has murdered his wife through administration of the anaesthetic drug Propofol — a restricted substance meant strictly for operation-theatre use and tried to pass it as a natural death due to existing ailment.
However, the issue returned back to him after six months of his wife's death, when the forensic laboratory report confirmed that the young lady had died of deliberate administration of medicine and it was not a natural death.
The Marathahalli police have arrested Dr Mahendra Reddy (31) for alleged murder of his wife Dr Kruthika Reddy (28), that had taken place on May 24, 2024. Interestingly, the marriage had lasted only for 11 months and both the doctors were working in Victoria hospital, Bengaluru.
Dr Kruthika Reddy, youngest daughter of Muni Reddy of Marathalli was married to Dr Mahendra Reddy of Gunjuru layout on May 26, 2024. Dr Kruthika was a dermatologist and the couple were working in Victoria hospital
Even while getting married, Dr Kruthika had minor health issues relating to low blood pressure and gastric. However, this was not revealed to Mahendra Reddy's family. The couple were living in Gunjur layout.
Even after marriage, Kruthika had minor complaints about her in-law's house as she was forced to take permission for every small thing. Besides, her in-laws used to interfere in her earnings also, which she did not like. During March 2025, she had health issues like regular vomiting.She started frequenting to her father's house in Marathahalli and started planning to open her own clinic in Marathahalli.
In April 2025, she started facing frequent health issues like vomiting. On April 21st, Dr Mahendra Reddy brought Kruthika Reddy to her father's house and said that she needed some rest. Dr Kruthika Reddy had a canola on her leg and Mahendra Reddy said that she needed to be injected through the canola for a few days as part of her treatment.
On April 24 night, Mahendra Reddy came home and stayed there. Dr Kruthika went to room half an hour after he arrived. Early in the morning, Mahendra woke up everyone and said that Kruthika had become unconscious. She was rushed to the nearby Kaveri hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Though Dr Mahendra Reddy discouraged the family from informing the police, as it was a natural death, Kruthika's elder sister Dr Nikita Reddy raised suspicion and lodged a complaint with the Marathahalli police. After registering an 'unnatural death', during post mortem, some samples of the body and digestive systems were sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis. On October 12, the forensic report arrived and pointed out that the cause of death was due to administering prohibited medicine, which was not relevant to any of the minor ailments Dr Kruthika was suffering.
The police arrested Mahendra Redduy, who had fled to Manipal in Udipi district and has been taken to their custody for questioning.
The investigations revealed that Dr. Mahendra, a surgeon at Victoria Hospital, misused his professional access to OT and ICU drugs. He allegedly administered the injection at home, later attempting to portray it as a natural death and discouraging the family from filing a police complaint or permitting post-mortem examination.
It was Dr. Nikitha M. Reddy, Kruthika’s elder sister and a radiologist, who raised suspicion and ensured that the case was reported to Marathahalli Police on 24 April 2025. A UDR case was then registered.
Criminal Background of the Accused : The accused belongs to a family with a prior criminal record. His twin brother, Dr. Nagendra Reddy G.S., faced multiple cheating and criminal cases filed at HAL Police Station (2018) by a woman complainant, with proceedings in three courts.
On 23 April 2025 — a day before Kruthika’s death — a compromise order was issued to withdraw those cases. Earlier, on 1 March 2023, both Mahendra Reddy G.S. and his brother Raghava Reddy G.S. had been named as co-accused for allegedly threatening the complainant’s family. These facts were concealed from Kruthika’s family at the time of marriage.
