Bengaluru, April 8: A shocking case came to an end on Tuesday when a city court found a 59-year-old woman guilty of killing her only daughter. The woman, Bhimaneni Padmini Rani, a homemaker from Shastrinagar in Banashankari, was sentenced to life in prison and fined Rs 50,000 for the murder of her daughter, Sahiti Shivapriya.

The incident took place on April 29, 2024, inside their home. Rani stabbed her 17-year-old daughter to death after learning the truth about her exam results. Initially, Sahiti had told her mother that she scored 95% in her II PU (12th-grade) final exams. But on April 28, she admitted to failing in one subject and even blamed her mother for not supporting her.

Public Prosecutor Bhaskar explained that this news upset Rani, especially when Sahiti’s close friend revealed that she had actually failed in four subjects. Rani became very angry and questioned her daughter. In return, Sahiti spoke to her mother in a rude tone.

Rani told the police she was very attached to Sahiti, especially since she was born 16 years after her marriage. She said her love for Sahiti grew stronger after her husband, Bhimaneni Maheshwar Rao, passed away in 2020. Rani added that even though she had undergone a knee replacement surgery, Sahiti never cared for her or showed any love. Despite that, she had hope that her daughter would change one day.

But the reality of Sahiti’s failure hit Rani hard. She had already told her relatives that Sahiti scored 95% and would soon go abroad for higher studies. The thought of her lie being exposed and the humiliation she might face pushed her over the edge.

In her statement in the chargesheet, Rani admitted she planned to kill her daughter and then take her own life. She said, “I had told my brothers and relatives that Sahiti was getting a seat in a US university. If they found out the truth, I would be ashamed. I thought dying would be better.”

She first tried to stab Sahiti with a small knife, but it bent. Then, she went back to the kitchen and brought two more knives, including one used for cutting chicken. Using these knives, she stabbed Sahiti multiple times.

After that, Rani tried to kill herself by stabbing her own hand. She said, “I stabbed my hand and it hurt. That’s when I called the staff from my husband’s office. They took me to the hospital.”

Police arrested Rani after she received treatment. She was later released on bail but was present in court on Tuesday when the verdict was given. She is now lodged in Central Prison, Bengaluru.