Karnataka Man Was Jailed For Wife’s Murder. She Was Then Spotted With Lover

In a bizarre real-life twist of events stranger than fiction, a man who wept over his wife, conducted her last rites, and languished behind bars for decades on the suspicion of killing her, was left aghast when she walked back into town – alive as a clam and hand-in-hand with her paramour.

The drama played out in Karnataka’s Basavanahalli village of Kushalnagar Taluk, Kodagu District, where Suresh, a native, had once lived a peaceful life with his wife, Mallige. That was until 2019, when she simply disappeared into thin air.

Suresh, hoping against hope, searched through social networks and unearthed rumors of an extramarital affair. In spite of heartbreak, he phoned Mallige, begging her at least to keep in contact for the children’s sake. She never called him back. Fearful of being framed, he went to the Kushalnagar Police in 2021 and reported her as missing.

But what ensued was a heartless twist of destiny.

A Skeleton, A Funeral, A Wrongful Accusation

In 2022, the police called Suresh, alleging his wife’s body had been discovered close to Bettadapura in Periyapatna Taluk. With his mother-in-law, he was escorted to see a skeleton and informed it was his wife. With a heavy heart, he performed her last rites.

But soon, the authorities charged Suresh with killing his wife. In spite of strong protests, he was arrested and put behind bars.

It was not until a forensic DNA test of the skeletal remains yielded no genetic link to Mallige’s family that Suresh was cleared and released from prison.

Years later, on April 1, 2025, Suresh’s bad dream became surreal when his friends saw Mallige casually checking into a hotel in Madikeri – alive, healthy, and with her lover. They were shocked, took pictures, and informed authorities.

Police immediately arrested the woman and presented her in front of a court in Mysuru.