Banashankari woman found dead in Nandi Hills homestay, boyfriend hospitalized

A 24-year-old physiotherapist from Banashankari in Bengaluru was found dead on Monday morning inside a homestay near the foothills of Nandi Hills in Muddenahalli, Chikkaballapur district. Her boyfriend, Sanjeeth Ali, was found lying unconscious beside her in what the police suspect is a case of murder followed by an attempted suicide.

The deceased, identified as Sai Surabhi, worked at the Satya Sai Hospital in Muddenahalli. Her body was discovered with a rope wound around her neck. Ali, an engineering graduate-turned-cab driver from Kozhikode, Kerala, who currently works in Bengaluru, was found unresponsive and is now undergoing treatment at a hospital.

According to Chikkaballapur Superintendent of Police Kushal Choksi, Ali is out of danger. Police recovered a diary containing a handwritten note from the room, though they have not yet established who wrote it. Officers plan to record Ali's statement once he recovers.

The police stated that Ali had checked into the homestay on Saturday. It remains unclear when Surabhi joined him. The incident came to light on Monday morning when the homestay staff noticed the couple had not checked out at their scheduled time. After repeated knocking and phone calls went unanswered, the resort management alerted the police, who broke open the door.

Inside the locked room, officers found Surabhi dead, with early medical signs pointing to strangulation or hanging. Medical pills were also found scattered across the room, indicating that Ali may have overdosed in an attempt to end his life.

Following the incident, Surabhi's mother, Geetha, alleged that Ali had murdered her daughter. Geetha stated that Ali was in a relationship with Surabhi and had previously introduced her to drug consumption, harassed her, and assaulted her.

Geetha revealed that the family had previously lodged a complaint against Ali at the Banashankari police station. Six months ago, a missing person complaint was also filed when Surabhi went missing, after which she was sent to a rehabilitation centre in Mysuru. The family had made efforts to keep Ali away from her.

The Chikkaballapur police have registered a murder case and are continuing their investigation.