Body of MLA's wife to arrive this afternoon

Udupi, Jun 17 (UNI) The body of Padmapriya, the wife of Udupi BJP MLA K Raghupathy Bhat, who was found hanging from the ceiling of a flat at Dwaraka in New Delhi on Sunday night, is expected to arrive here by noon today.

Three doctors of Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi had conducted the inquest on the body of Padmapriya yesterday.

The cremation would be conducted near Mr Bhat's residence here at Nerambally this evening.

The family of Atul Kumar, the alleged prime suspect in Padmapriya missing case, who had been provided police protection after taking him into their custody, had now been shifted to some other place from their house in Doddanagudde in the city.

The message of the death of Padmapriya was conveyed only yesterday to her mother Prema Rao, who was ailing, and staying at her residence at Karnad near Mulky. After hearing the news she became indisposed and had been admitted to the hospital.

Padmapriya's maternal grandfather Karnad Subbarao, a true Gandhian, was in the forefront during the freedom struggle.

The third brother of Padmapriya - Ramesh Baritthaya - had alleged that his sister was hypnotised by Atul Kumar, who had an ulterior motive of grabbing the valuable properties of Mr Bhat.

Mr Baritthaya along with Padmapriya's uncle Prakash Rao and a cousin of Mr Bhat, Balakrishna Acharya told presspersons yesterday that Atul had planned the entire scheme in the disappearance of Padmapriya.

They said the relation between the husband and wife was most cordial and good, and Padmapriya had actively campaigned for Mr Bhat during the recently held Karnataka Assembly election.

Atul, who took advantage of his close association with Mr Bhat's family, and also being Bhat's childhood friend, had cheated the family by sketching the escape plan, they alleged.

Expressing their anguish over misleading reports being carried out by media everyday, they said that such reports would result in spoiling the good relations between Mr Bhat and Padmapriya's family.

The children of Mr Bhat though tried to contact their mother on the night of June 11, were unable to reach her as the telephones in both houses were not functioning since June 11, they added.

They also urged the media to keep some constraint while reporting such sensitive issues.

UNI MA GKT RSA RK1422