Solving Crime: How a viral video unravelled Bengaluru’s no-body cyanide murder case

On March 26, 2021, K Seetha, a 47-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh, went missing after leaving her sister's house in Bengaluru to meet someone in the Majestic area. Seven months later, her body was discovered in a canal in Bengaluru, based on a viral video of a drunken man named S Sathyanarayana, or Sathya. To prove Seetha was dead, police had neither the body nor any eyewitnesses.

Initial investigations were minimal due to the Covid-19 second wave and police restrictions during that time. However, Seetha's sister Geetha learned about the video and filed a habeas corpus case in the Karnataka High Court, prompting the police to act. In November 2021, Seetha's siblings and Sathya were arrested. Sathya confessed to the crime, revealing the details of the murder.

The land dispute between Srinivas Achar, Seetha's father, and Noor Ahamed played a role in the motive. Seetha was lured to repay her debts but was eventually cyanide-poisoned after arriving in Kunduru Mutt.