UDUPI, 24 AUG

A temple cook was arrested at Karkada near Saligrama in Udupi district on Saturday for allegedly killing his wife over her addiction to make reels for social media.

Jayashree, 31, a native of Donagapura in Bidar, and Kiran Upadhya, 44, were married for eight months and they were staying at a rented house at Karkada, Udupi Additional Superintendent of Police ST Siddalingappa said.

Jayashree regularly made reels, sometimes featuring her and husband, and posted them on social media, police said. The couple’s relationship began to strain when people began making fun of them and Upadhya cautioned her to stop making reels, police said. Jayashree was also addicted to online shopping using her husband’s debit and credit cards. She often fought with Upadhya demanding luxuries such as a posh house and a high-end car, according to a complaint filed by Upadhya’s family members.

After the murder on Friday night, Upadhya tried to bury his wife’s body but dropped the plan. He called up his friends and relatives and said his wife had slipped and fell from the first floor of the house, police said. She was taken to Government Hospital in Udupi where doctors declared her dead on arrival. However, Upadhya confessed to the crime during interrogation. –Salar News