Bengaluru, India — A chilling tale of betrayal and murder has emerged from the serene coffee plantations of Karnataka’s Kodagu district, where the charred remains of a local businessman were discovered on October 8, unraveling a sinister plot that crossed state boundaries.
The deceased, identified as 54-year-old Ramesh, a known businessman in the region, had been missing for weeks before police found his burned body hidden under a blanket in a remote part of the plantation. The initial clue in the investigation came from a security camera that captured a red Mercedes Benz near the site, later found to be registered in Ramesh’s name.
As authorities delved deeper, they turned their focus towards Ramesh’s wife, 29-year-old Niharika P., who had reported her husband missing shortly after his disappearance. The breakthrough came when Niharika, under questioning, confessed to orchestrating her husband’s murder with two accomplices, her lover, a 28-year-old veterinarian named Nikhil, and another associate, Ankur.
Niharika’s backstory, as police later learned, was fraught with challenges. Losing her father at 16, she excelled academically and completed her engineering degree, but her life took a darker turn leading to a stint in prison for financial fraud. It was there she met Ankur. After her release and subsequent marriage to Ramesh, she quickly adapted to a luxurious lifestyle, her demands growing until she plotted to kill Ramesh when he denied her a substantial sum of money.
The meticulously planned murder was carried out in Uppal, Hyderabad, where Ramesh was suffocated to death on October 1. The trio then drove over 800 km to Kodagu to dispose of his body, attempting to erase their tracks by setting the remains on fire.
Kodagu police chief Ramarajan highlighted the complexities faced during the investigation. “The culprits tried to destroy all evidence which made initial identification and investigation challenging,” he said. A detailed review of over 500 CCTV footages led the investigators from Kodagu to Tumkur, tracing the suspicious vehicle back to Telangana, which was pivotal in solving the case.
Niharika and her accomplices were arrested and are currently facing charges of murder and conspiracy. The case has gripped the local community and has prompted a deeper look into the rise of crime connected to financial disputes in family settings.
The tragic event leaves a community in mourning and raises questions about the extents people might go to when driven by greed and betrayal. While the legal proceedings continue, the shocking murder in the tranquil settings of a coffee estate has shattered the peace of the small community, serving as a grim reminder of the darkness that can lurk behind a facade of wealth and marital discord.