‘Mother, sister have depression; fought frequently with father’, son of murdered ex-Karnataka DGP tells cops

The wife and daughter of Om Prakash, former Director General of Police (DGP), Karnataka, who was found dead at his Bengaluru home on April 20, are suffering from depression, his son has told police. 

The two frequently fought with the retired Indian Police Services (IPS) officer, the son has said in police complaint. 

Prakash, 68, was found dead at his residence in Bengaluru on April 21 under mysterious circumstances. His body was found with stab wounds, raising suspicions of foul play. His wife Pallavi Prakash, 65, was detained in connection with the case. 

Police are probing a property dispute behind the murder. 

Kartik Prakash, said in his police complaint that his father had moved out of his house because of the frequent fights and threats from his mother, and also expressed suspicion that his mother and sister may have murdered his father. The First Information Report (FIR) was based on his complaint.

Kartik, 40, was informed about his father’s death on Sunday while he was at the Karnataka Golf Association. He has reportedly said in the complaint that his mother had been threatening to kill his father for quite some time now. Kartik also said Om Prakash moved to his sister’s house in Bengaluru due to the threats.

“My younger sister Kriti went to Sarita Kumari’s (Om Prakash’s sister) house two days ago and took our father, Om Prakash, back home,” Kartik said in the complaint, according to a report in Indian Express. He said in the complaint that his mother and sister were “suffering from depression and used to fight with our father every day,” the report said.

In another report, Pallavi allegedly threw chilli powder at Om Prakash, tied him up and then stabbed him to death. The former top cop was also attacked with a glass bottle, the report in NDTV said.

Before the murder, Pallavi sent messages on a social media forum for officers’ families expressing a threat to her life and her daughter’s life from Om Prakash, and staff at their home.

Prakash's wife, Pallavi, informed police about the incident. The body was found lying in a pool of blood on the ground floor of his three-storied house in the upscale HSR Layout in Bengaluru, police said. Police questioned Pallavi and the deceased’s daughter during the investigation for about 12 hours.

'Wife prime suspect'

The wife, according to sources, is the prime suspect in the murder. She reportedly had an altercation with Prakash over property he had transferred to a relative. This fight turned physical, and she stabbed him, according to initial findings.

A 1981-cadre IPS officer, Om Prakash began his career as the additional superintendent of police in Karnataka’s Ballari district. He also superintendent of police of many districts before assuming charge as director general and inspector general of police (DG&IGP) in 2015. He retired from services in 2017.

(With agency inputs)