Main accused in K'taka MLA's wife death held

New Delhi: Atul Rao, the prime accused in the controversial Padmapriya death case, has been arrested in Mangalore.

He is charged with abetting Padmapriya's suicide and is also suspected of being involved in her going missing from Udupi.

The complaints were registered against him by Padmapriya's husband, Udupi BJP MLA, K Raghupatti Bhat.

Atul Rao is a close friend of the family.

Padmapriya was found dead in an apartment in New Delhi on the June 15, five days after she had been reported missing from Udupi.

Her body was found in hanging in an apartment in Dwarka in southwest Delhi. It was taken to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on Monday and then to AIIMS for embalming so it could be flown to Udupi for last rites.

Padmapriya is said to have left her Udupi house to go to her parents' house, 30 km from there, on June 10.

However, the fact that she had gone missing came to light only on June 13 morning after her car was found abandoned near Kunjargiri hills in Udupi district.

A SIM card and broken bangles were recovered from the car, the Karnataka police said.