Tattoo, Poisoned Beer and Pandemic Clues: How Bengaluru Police Exposed Engineer Who Murdered His Wife in 2021

Bengaluru, January 4, 2026 At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2021, when fear, curfews and isolation defined daily life, a 33-year-old Bengaluru engineer tried to pass off his wife’s murder as suicide. What he did not expect was that a single tattoo on his hand, a bottle of beer, and a strip of tablets would slowly unravel his carefully planned lie and lead the police straight to the truth. On April 17, 2021, Mahadevapura police station received information from a hospital about the suspected suicide of a young woman named Ashwini. When Inspector H Hariyappa and Head Constable Shivanand K Poojari arrived at the hospital, they found Ashwini’s husband, Vinay Kumar, crying uncontrollably. Kumar claimed that his wife had been suffering from depression, mainly due to infertility issues, and had ended her life while he was asleep. Despite strict Covid protocols, Head Constable Poojari stepped closer to comfort the grieving man. As he spoke to Kumar, something caught his attention — a tattoo on Kumar’s hand with the name “Roopa” clearly inked on it. At that moment, it seemed insignificant, but it stayed in the constable’s mind. Kumar told the police that he and Ashwini had married in 2018 and were living happily. He said that on the morning of April 17, he woke up to find her unresponsive and screamed for help, after which neighbours assisted him in taking her to the hospital. However, doubts soon began to surface. Ashwini’s family arrived and openly accused Kumar of having an affair with another woman. Doctors examining Ashwini’s body also raised suspicion, stating that the marks on her neck suggested strangulation rather than suicide. With Kumar being the only person present at the time of Ashwini’s death, police took him into custody for questioning. Under interrogation, Kumar eventually confessed to killing his wife. He admitted that on April 16, 2021, he had bought a bottle of beer and a strip of Disulfiram tablets, a drug used to treat alcohol addiction. He crushed the tablets and mixed them into the beer, believing it would kill Ashwini if she drank it. That night, the couple had dinner and went to sleep. When Kumar woke up around 5.50 am and realised Ashwini was still alive, he used a dupatta to strangle her. Later, he called her parents, claiming she was unconscious, and rushed her to the hospital, continuing the suicide story. The motive behind the murder soon became clear. Ashwini and Kumar had a love marriage after being introduced by Kumar’s sister while Ashwini was pursuing engineering in Chikkamagaluru. After marriage, Ashwini became a homemaker, and the couple faced pressure due to her inability to conceive. During this time, Kumar met Roopa, a divorced woman and bank relationship manager, while applying for a loan. The two grew close, and Kumar proposed marriage to her. Roopa agreed only if he divorced Ashwini. To keep her interested, Kumar lied, even sending her a fake divorce petition. When Roopa later contacted Ashwini directly, Kumar’s deception was exposed. Police said this confrontation pushed Kumar to plan Ashwini’s murder. The tattoo bearing Roopa’s name became a crucial psychological clue. Head Constable Poojari later recalled that Kumar himself admitted the tattoo was his girlfriend’s name, not a family member’s, strengthening suspicion. Although there were no eyewitnesses, police built the case through strong circumstantial evidence. They traced the purchase of the beer and tablets using digital payment records, recovered CCTV footage from the liquor store and pharmacy, and found the empty tablet strip. During the trial, shop workers and Roopa herself testified, supporting the prosecution’s case. On December 17, 2025, a Bengaluru court convicted Vinay Kumar of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The verdict brought closure to Ashwini’s family after years of waiting. For the officers involved, especially during the chaos of the pandemic, the case stood as a reminder that small details — even a tattoo — can speak louder than lies. Tattoo, Poisoned Beer and Pandemic Clues: How Bengaluru Police Exposed Engineer Who Murdered His Wife in 2021 During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2021, a Bengaluru engineer tried to pass off his wife’s murder as suicide. Vinay Kumar, 33, told police that his wife Ashwini had taken her life due to depression. But a small detail spotted by a compassionate police officer began to unravel the truth. When Mahadevapura police reached the hospital, Head Constable Shivanand K Poojari noticed a tattoo on Kumar’s hand that read “Roopa.” At first glance, it seemed harmless, but it later emerged that Roopa was Kumar’s girlfriend. Doctors examining Ashwini’s body also raised doubts, saying her death did not appear to be a suicide. Under questioning, Kumar confessed that he had mixed Disulfiram tablets into a bottle of beer, hoping it would kill his wife. When that failed, he strangled her with a dupatta while she slept. He then rushed her to the hospital, continuing the false suicide story. Police uncovered that Kumar wanted to marry Roopa and had even sent her a fake divorce petition. Digital payment records, CCTV footage from liquor and medical stores, and witness statements helped build the case despite there being no eyewitnesses. In December 2025, a Bengaluru court sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment. The case showed how small clues, careful police work, and persistence can uncover the truth, even during the chaos of a pandemic.