Three Karnataka cops suspended after tribal man wrongly jailed for wife's murder

Three police officers have been suspended after a tribal man from Karnataka, who was wrongly imprisoned for nearly two years in connection with the alleged murder of his wife, was acquitted in April 2025. The action followed strong criticism from the 5th Additional District and Sessions Court in Mysuru, which faulted the police for serious lapses in the investigation. The suspension was ordered by the Inspector General of Police (Southern Range) Boralingaiah.

Bettadapura Police Inspector GB Prakash and Sub-Inspectors Prakash Ettinamani and Mahesh have been suspended for their role in the wrongful arrest and investigation.

The man, Suresh, a member of the Jenukuruba tribal community from Basavanahalli village in Kushalnagar taluk, had filed a missing person complaint in 2020 with the Kushalnagar Rural Police after his wife, Mallige, went missing. However, when skeletal remains were later recovered in the jurisdiction of the Bettadapura police, officers pressured Suresh to identify them as his wife’s. He was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder, spending 18 months in judicial custody.

A year later, DNA testing confirmed that the remains did not belong to Mallige. Just days after the test results, Mallige was found alive and living with another man in Shettihalli village, about 30 kilometres from Madikeri. Following the discovery, the Mysuru court acquitted Suresh and condemned the police conduct in the matter.

Unsatisfied with the limited accountability, Suresh had recently approached the Karnataka High Court seeking Rs 5 crore in compensation and criminal action against the officers responsible. In his petition, he had named five officers, including then Investigating Officer Inspector Prakash BG, then Additional Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar, Sub-Inspectors Prakash Yattimani and Mahesh BK, and Assistant Sub-Inspector Somashekara. He had accused them of fabricating evidence, abusing their authority, and arresting him without due process.

While the High Court had earlier directed the Karnataka Home Department to pay Suresh Rs 1 lakh in compensation, he has challenged the amount and the absence of broader accountability by filing a criminal appeal seeking financial damages.

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