The investigation into the Bengaluru doctor murder case has taken a shocking turn after police found that surgeon Dr Mahendra Reddy G S, accused of killing his dermatologist wife, Dr Kruthika M Reddy, sent disturbing messages to multiple women saying, “I killed my wife for you.”
According to police, Mahendra murdered his wife in April 2025 by administering Propofol, a powerful anaesthetic drug that is restricted to operation theatre use. Kruthika, who had been staying at her father’s house in Marathahalli due to health concerns, collapsed after Mahendra visited her and administered intravenous injections under the guise of treatment. She was rushed to a private hospital but was declared brought dead. Initially, the police registered an Unnatural Death Report since the death appeared natural.
Unravelling a brutal murder
The breakthrough came after Kruthika’s sister, also a doctor, raised suspicion and demanded a detailed investigation. A forensic analysis months later detected Propofol in multiple organs, proving that Kruthika had been administered the drug. Following the forensic confirmation, the police reclassified the case as murder under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and arrested Mahendra in October 2025 from Udupi, where he had relocated soon after the incident.
Investigators found that weeks after allegedly murdering his wife, Mahendra began contacting several women he had previously pursued. To bypass being blocked on messaging apps, he used the digital payment platform PhonePe and typed the message “I killed my wife for you” in the transaction notes section while sending small payments.
Mahendra’s secret affairs
Police retrieved the messages from his seized phone and laptop, both sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory. One of the recipients was a woman who had earlier rejected him. Another woman, based in Mumbai, had also been approached by Mahendra with a marriage proposal in 2023, after which he allegedly instructed his father to tell her that he had died in an accident.
In September 2025, after Kruthika’s death, Mahendra contacted her again, claiming he was alive and stating that his kundli had predicted his first wife’s death. He once more proposed marriage, claiming that his love for her was genuine.
Criminal background of Mahendra’s family exposed
Police have also revealed that Mahendra comes from a family with a criminal background. His twin brother, Dr Nagendra Reddy, was previously booked in multiple cheating cases in 2018. Mahendra and another brother, Raghava Reddy, were named co-accused in a threat case in 2023. Kruthika’s family alleges that these details were concealed during the marriage discussions. Mahendra and Kruthika had married on May 26, 2024, less than a year before her death.
Investigators believe that Mahendra planned the murder and attempted to revive old relationships after eliminating his wife. The chilling PhonePe messages sent to different women are now crucial digital evidence in the case. Police have clarified that the women who received the messages have no role in the crime.
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
