A 45-year-old doctor, Dr Kiran Honannavar, was allegedly murdered by his wife, Dr Priyanka, also a doctor, inside their apartment in Karnataka's Dharwad on Wednesday. The couple's eight-year-old son was also stabbed during the incident and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Acting on information provided by neighbours, police arrived at the apartment to find a gruesome scene, with blood splattered across the residence. A video recorded at the scene showed Priyanka lying on a bed and scrolling through her phone while her husband and son lay in pools of blood nearby.
After reaching the apartment, Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar noticed that the injured child was still breathing and immediately arranged for him to be shifted to a hospital. According to officials, the first responders had initially failed to realise that the child was alive, and it was the Police Commissioner who identified signs of life.
According to the information available so far, Kiran's relatives and friends had repeatedly tried to contact him on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning. Priyanka reportedly answered the calls, initially telling them that her husband was resting and later claiming that he had gone to work.
When family members visited the couple's apartment on Wednesday evening after failing to reach him, they discovered Dr Kiran and the child lying in pools of blood, while the accused was reportedly lying on the bed using her phone.
Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar said Dr Kiran Honannavar, an anaesthetist at Chirayu Hospital, lived with his wife, Priyanka Kattanahalli, an MBBS graduate with an MS in Ophthalmology, and their eight-year-old son in a sixth-floor apartment located opposite Pavan High School. He added that Kiran's family members frequently visited the residence.
Describing the crime scene, the Commissioner said police found Dr Kiran dead in one of the rooms with multiple stab injuries. The couple's son had also sustained stab wounds.
"We are yet to determine during the investigation when exactly the child was attacked. Since he was still alive, we immediately shifted him to the hospital," Shashikumar said.
The Commissioner added that investigators are working to establish the exact sequence of events and the motive behind the incident. Preliminary findings indicate that only the husband, wife and child were present inside the apartment at the time, with no evidence so far suggesting the involvement of any outsider.
He further said neighbours had been attempting to contact the family since Wednesday morning, but Priyanka reportedly informed them that she was inside the house and that her husband had gone out.
"We will conduct a detailed investigation to determine exactly what happened, whom she spoke to, what she told them, and the sequence of events inside the apartment," the Commissioner said, adding that a murder case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
