Bengaluru police have arrested Dr. Mahendra Reddy, a general surgeon, for murdering his wife, Dr. Kruthika M. Reddy, a dermatologist, by giving her the anaesthetic drug Propofol. This drug is only supposed to be used in operating rooms. The couple, both doctors at Victoria Hospital, married on May 26, 2024. Less than a year later, on April 23, 2025, Kruthika collapsed at her father’s home in Marathahalli, where she had been staying due to health issues.
Bengaluru doctor killed her wife with anaesthetic drug
Mahendra visited her and gave her intravenous injections over two days, saying they were part of her treatment. She was declared dead upon arrival at a nearby private hospital. Initially, police treated the case as an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) because the death seemed natural. However, Kruthika’s elder sister, Dr. Nikitha M. Reddy, a radiologist, raised doubts and demanded a thorough investigation.
Six months later, a report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) found Propofol in several organs, showing that Kruthika died from the anaesthetic. After this finding, Marathahalli Police changed the case to murder under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. They arrested Mahendra in Manipal, Udupi, where he had moved after the incident. A Look-Out Circular (LOC) had already been issued against him.
Criminal background of Mahendra’s Family
Further investigations revealed that Mahendra’s family had a criminal history. His twin brother, Dr. Nagendra Reddy GS, had faced multiple cheating and criminal cases at the HAL Police Station in Bengaluru. Mahendra and another brother, Raghava Reddy GS, were named co-accused in a 2023 case for allegedly threatening the family of the same complainant. Kruthika’s family claimed they were not informed about these details before the marriage.
Kruthika, 28, was a highly qualified dermatologist. She completed her MBBS at Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences, her MD in Dermatology at Navodaya Medical College in Raichur, and her DNB in Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy from NBEMS. She was set to open her dream clinic, “Skin & Scalpel,” on May 4, 2025.
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