A 26-year-old former marketing executive from Bengaluru has been arrested for brutally murdering his girlfriend’s seven-year-old daughter, allegedly because she “interrupted” his private time with her mother.
The accused, Darshan Kumar Yadav, was tracked down and arrested on Monday evening near Tumakuru Road after being on the run for a day. The victim, Siri S, a Class 2 student from a government school in Ramasandra village near Kengeri, lived with her mother Shilpa S K and her foster mother, as per a report by The Times of India.
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Police said Darshan, who earlier worked with a paints company, was in a relationship with Shilpa, a business development officer at a private firm. Shilpa had separated from her husband, Balaji, and was raising her daughter on her own.
After the death of Shilpa’s foster mother in August, Darshan allegedly began insisting that Siri be sent to a hostel, claiming that the child was getting in the way of their relationship. When Shilpa refused, he reportedly picked fights, assaulted her, and even threatened to harm both mother and daughter.
On October 23, Darshan stayed overnight at Shilpa’s home. The following morning, after she left for work, he took Siri to his residence. Later that evening, he called Shilpa, demanding she return home immediately. Shilpa reportedly heard her daughter crying over the phone and rushed back around 6.30 pm.
When she arrived, Darshan allegedly attacked her and locked her in a room. After breaking free, Shilpa found her daughter lying motionless in a pool of blood.
Investigations revealed that Darshan had slammed the child’s head on the floor several times before smothering her to death. In his confession, he told police that he considered Shilpa his wife, though she described herself as his girlfriend in her complaint.
Officers also found that Darshan had a pattern of befriending several women through Instagram and becoming involved in toxic relationships.
