BENGALURU: Five including a woman and lover have been arrested in the murder of her husband, a restaurateur identified as Arun Kumar (34) of Channasandra. His wife Ranjitha (23), lover Ganesh (26) and friends Sivanand, Sharath and Deepak have been arrested.

The body of Arun Kumar was found in Gattigerepalya near NICE Road, South Bengaluru on June 29. The body was identified on June 30. The police soon registered a murder case.

She confessed to the crime after the police took her into custody following suspicion of her behavior. She told police that Ganesh and his friends murdered her husband.

Ganesh was running a restaurant in Uttarahalli. He supplied bottled water to Kumar’s restaurant from here. Kumar had borrowed Rs 8 lakhs from Ganesh and was unable to repay it. After incurring losses, he had to close the hotel.

Ganesh used to visit his hotel and befriended Ranjitha and they began an affair six months ago. Kumar came to know about it and warned Ganesh. However, they met secretly. Kumar, who knew this used to beat his wife. So, Ranjith asked Ganesh to get rid of her husband.

Ganesh called Kumar on June 28 and told him that he wants to meet him to discuss the opening of the hotel. Kumar was drunk when he came to meet Kumar. The accused later took him in an auto to Gattigerepalya. On reaching there, they hacked him to death.

On June 28, Ranjitha went to her parents’ house in Mandya so that no one would suspect her. She returned on June 30. The couple got married four years ago and have a two-year-old child.