Overview

• Police identified the victim as Rakshita, 20, who was found dead inside a lodge in Bherya village, Saligrama taluk, on Monday.
• Lodge staff detained the accused, Siddaraju, after he claimed a mobile-phone blast and tried to flee, and Saligrama police then arrested him.
• Investigators say a chemical powder combination was used, with Forensic Science Laboratory analysis under way to establish the substance and its source.
• Multiple reports allege the attacker forced a gelatin or explosive stick into her mouth and detonated it, a detail police are verifying.
• Mysuru’s superintendent of police said the victim was married to a man working in Kerala but was in a relationship with the accused, and a case has been registered as motive inquiries continue.