Bangalore : A senior scientist working with a petro-chemical major in the City was arrested on Monday for killing his wife.

A schoolteacher at Elements Montessori on Aralur Road, Mahalakshmi, 37, a native of Mumbai, died after Dharmesh, 38, slapped her during an argument over a trivial matter,  in their flat at Mantri Flora Apartments, in Iblur Junction, HSR Layout, on Sunday night.

Mahalakshmi married Dharmesh, a native of Jharsuguda in Orissa, in 2005, in Mumbai, while he was pursuing his doctoral studies. The couple, with a four-year-old boy Vedant, had worked in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and settled in Bangalore two years ago when Dharmesh was posted as a senior scientist at Shell Global Solutions.

Police said on Sunday, when the couple were watching TV at about 10 pm, Dharmesh got a call from his elder sister that she would be visiting them on Monday, to which Mahalakshmi objected, leading to an argument.

A furious Dharmesh slapped Mahalakshmi who collapsed on the sofa. A panic-stricken Dharmesh tried to revive her, including mouth-to-mouth respiration. When she did not respond, he rushed her to a private hospital and from there to St John’s Hospital, where she was declared brought dead.

Being informed by St John’s Hospital authorities, HSR Layout Police arrested Dharmesh and registered a murder case under Section 302 of Indian Penal Code.

Police said Mahalakshmi’s parents have in their statement said that there were no issues between the couple and supported Dharmesh, their son-in-law, terming the incident an accident. They also stated there was no dowry harassment.

A friend of Dharmesh, who described him as calm, and surprised that he so flared up to slap his wife, said Dharmesh was working as an exploratory researcher.

Murder case solved

The City police have cracked a recent murder case and arrested one person. Auto driver Anwar Pasha, 44, was found bludgeoned to death in a shed in A Narayanapura on February 18. Mahadevapura Police had registered a murder case and a special team was formed to investigate.

Mahadevapura Police recently arrested Subramani alias Mani, 21, from Chikkadasapura. Subramani hails from Chikkur village, Mulbagal.

Investigations revealed that Anwar Pasha had borrowed Rs 5,500 from Subramani and had not repayed the debt. The two met at Manjunatha Bar next to the shed, where they consumed liquor.

Following an argument over repayment of debt, Subramani bludgeoned Anwar to death with a boulder.