Bengaluru man strangles wife over child custody dispute; arrested

A Bengaluru man strangled his wife during a fight over sending their child to the grandmother’s house. The husband, Lokesh Kumar, has been arrested. The couple’s 3-year-old child is now orphaned and in the care of the grandmother. 

Bengaluru : A domestic dispute over child custody took a tragic turn in Bengaluru’s Basaveshwaranagar, where a man allegedly strangled his wife to death following an argument about sending their child to the grandmother’s house.

The incident occurred on April 24. The accused, Lokesh Kumar, was arrested by Basaveshwaranagar police after neighbours raised an alarm and informed the landlord, who contacted authorities. Lokesh, originally from Rajasthan, operated a tea shop in Chickpet. His wife, Namita, hailed from Uttar Pradesh. The couple had met through a matrimonial website and fell in love despite initial resistance due to their inter-caste backgrounds.

Though they had considered separating early in the relationship to avoid family backlash, Lokesh persuaded Namita to remain friends. Their bond eventually blossomed into marriage, and they moved to Bengaluru to escape societal pressures. They had been married for five years and were living in a rented house with their three-year-old child.

However, parenting challenges and ongoing disputes over the child’s upbringing, particularly about whether the child should stay with Namita’s or Lokesh’s mother, led to frequent arguments. Tensions peaked when Lokesh reportedly overheard Namita speaking critically about him during a phone call with her mother. The verbal spat escalated, and in a fit of rage, Lokesh strangled her.

Following the murder, police filed an FIR based on a complaint from Namita’s family, which also includes charges of dowry harassment. Lokesh is currently in custody as investigations continue.

The couple’s child, now left without both parents, has been placed under the care of their maternal grandmother. What could have been resolved through communication and compromise has instead left an innocent child orphaned and a family shattered.

This heartbreaking case underscores the devastating impact unresolved domestic conflicts can have not only on couples but also on the lives of children caught in between.