Heavy security at Atul’s residence in Udupi

Security has been strengthened at the residence of Atul, who had reportedly accompanied BJP MLA Raghupathi Bhat’s wife Padmapriya to New Delhi before she committed suicide in an apartment in the national capital.

Even as a grieving Bhat pointed the accusing finger at his close aide Atul, who is now in the custody of Delhi police, for “forcibly” taking his wife away, security personnel descended on Atul’s residence in Hudco colony in Udupi in dozens.

Padmapriya’s elder brother Rajashekar too blamed Atul, a civil engineer by profession, for his sister’s untimely death.

However, Atul’s wife Meera and mother Usha Rao claimed that Atul had no role in the disappearance of Padmapriya.

Meera said there is no need for casting any suspicion over the relationship between my husband and Padmapriya. “Atul had close relationship with the family of Raghupathi Bhat. Atul used to be called in for all activities in the Bhat household. Padmapriya was also a frequent visitor to our house”, she told reporters.

“There is no room for being suspicious about Atul’s relationship with Padmapriya. I too used to visit Bhat’s house”, Meera said.

Meanwhile, a team of policemen from Karnataka has left for Goa to ascertain reports that Atul and Padmapriya had boarded a flight to New Delhi from Goa after her mysterious disappearance from Udupi.

A team of policemen from Karwar are understood to be scanning the CCTV records to confirm the date and time of their departure.

Karnataka’s Director General of Police K R Srinivasan told reporters that two more teams of policemen from the state had left for New Delhi to gather information on circumstances leading to the suicide of BJP MLA.

“One team of policemen from Bangalore and another team of policemen from Udupi are camping in New Delhi”, Srinivasan told reporters.

It may be mentioned here 35-year-old Padmapriya was found missing three days after she left her house in Udupi on June 11. Her disappearance came to light only after the police found the car she was driving abandoned at Kunjargi village, about 10 kms from Udupi on June 14.
A team of policemen reached the spot and found broken glass bangles in the driver’s seat, besides some bloodstains. The police also recovered a handbag containing a cash of around Rs 10,000, a gold ring and a mobile phone without the SIM card.