Bengaluru suitcase murder: ‘She talked bad about my family,’ culprit says wife’s taunts pushed him to commit crime

The man who allegedly stabbed his wife to death and stuffed her body into a suitcase before fleeing their south Bengaluru home has confessed to what drove him to commit the crime, police sources told Times of India.

Rakesh Khedekar, a senior project coordinator at a private firm, killed his wife, Gouri Sambrekar, 32, on the night of March 26 in their home at Doddakammanahalli, near Hulimavu.

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The case took unexpected turns as he called Gouri's brother and confessed to murdering her. Rakesh was taken into police custody on April 2. A senior police officer said that during interrogation, Rakesh admitted to having been disturbed over Gouri always insulting his parents and younger sister.

“Gouri would always talk badly about my father, mother and sister. She always insulted them at home and outside. She suggested we shift to Bengaluru, find new jobs, and start a fresh life. She had been dominating me right from her school days. But I was madly in love with her. As she didn't get a job for almost a month in Bengaluru, she wanted us to go back to Mumbai, and she often argued over it,” the sources quoted Rakesh as saying.

Here's how incidents unfolded

In his confession, Rakesh revealed that he and Gouri spent some private time together at home on the evening of March 26 before heading out for a walk in a nearby open area. On their way back, they bought liquor and snacks, arriving home around 7:30 PM.

Rakesh, who usually drank daily after work, was accompanied by Gouri, who served him snacks and played songs. That night, they decided to take turns playing their favorite songs. Rakesh started with a glass of liquor and played a few songs. When it was Gouri's turn, she chose a Marathi song that contained remarks about a father-son relationship, which she used to tease him.

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She then playfully puffed her cheeks and blew air on his face repeatedly. This annoyed Rakesh, causing him to push her, and she nearly fell near the kitchen.

Gouri became angry and grabbed a knife from the kitchen. She threw it at Rakesh while shouting insults at him.

“In a fit of rage, Rakesh took the knife and stabbed her twice in the neck and once in the abdomen between 8.45 pm and 9 pm. As she was profusely bleeding, he sat next to her and explained how her actions irritated him,” Times of India reported citing a senior officer.

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According to the Bengaluru police, the murder came to light when the owner of the house, where the couple lived, alerted the police control room at around 5:30 pm on Thursday. The woman and her husband, who works as a project manager in an IT firm in the southern city, moved to Bengaluru last month and were living in a flat at Doddakammanahalli village in Hulimayu police station limits, PTI reported.

(With inputs from agencies)