Karnataka man jailed for wife's ‘murder' seeks Rs 5 crore after she was found alive

India Today

26-06-2025

A tribal man from Karnataka who spent nearly two years in prison for the alleged murder of his wife, who was later found alive, has approached the Karnataka High Court seeking Rs 5 crore in compensation and criminal action against the police officers involved in his wrongful arrest.Kurubara Suresh, a resident of Basavanahalli in Kushalnagar taluk, was acquitted with full honours in April 2025 by the 5th Additional District and Sessions Court in Mysuru. The court had also directed the Karnataka Home Department to pay him Rs 1 lakh in compensation. Unhappy with the nominal amount and the limited scope of accountability, Suresh has now filed a criminal appeal in the High Court.advertisementIn his petition, Suresh has named five officers, including then Investigating Officer Inspector Prakash BG, then Additional Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar, Sub-Inspectors Prakash Yattimani and Mahesh BK, and Assistant Sub-Inspector Somashekara.
He has accused them of fabricating evidence, abusing their positions, and orchestrating his arrest without due process. Suresh is seeking both financial damages and criminal proceedings against the officers.The case dates back to 2021, when Suresh filed a missing person's complaint after his wife, Mallige, disappeared. In 2022, skeletal remains were recovered in the Bettadapura police station limits of neighbouring Mysuru district. With no clear identification, police suspected the remains to be those of Mallige. Suresh and his mother-in-law were allegedly coerced into confirming the identity of the remains, despite the absence of a DNA match.On this basis, Suresh was arrested and charged with Mallige's murder. He remained in custody for nearly 18 months until a DNA test, ordered by the court, confirmed that the remains were not Mallige's. Suresh was then granted bail and released.advertisementIn a turn of events in April 2025, Mallige was spotted alive by Suresh's friends while she was dining at a restaurant in Madikeri. She was taken into custody and produced before the Mysuru court by Bettadapura police. Her reappearance raised serious questions about the conduct of the investigation, the handling of forensic evidence, and whether the case involved gross negligence or deliberate wrongdoing.While the Sessions Court had recommended legal action against Inspector Prakash BG alone for tampering with evidence, Suresh's appeal seeks to extend criminal liability to all five officers named in the case. He has also requested that the High Court amend the Sessions Court judgment to describe him as a 'victim' rather than an 'accused'.Investigations are ongoing to trace Mallige's whereabouts over the past three years and to understand the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.- Ends
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