K’taka man stabs mother-in-law after she refused video call to see infant

Belagavi police arrested Aravind Gavali after he allegedly stabbed his mother-in-law in Aladakatti village over anger linked to not being shown his newborn during a video call leaving her critically injured in ICU while investigation is underway into the attack

Belagavi: A man allegedly stabbed his mother-in-law after becoming enraged over not being shown his newborn child during a video call, police said on Tuesday. The shocking incident has been reported from Aladakatti village near Savadatti in Belagavi district in Karnataka.

The incident left his mother-in-law, Mahadevi, critically injured, and she is currently undergoing treatment in the ICU at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) Hospital in Belagavi. The accused Aravind Gavali has been arrested.

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Concerningly, further, police said that after the assault, the accused Aravind had posted a WhatsApp status message stating, “Today jail, tomorrow bail… I won’t spare you.” Acting swiftly, Muragod police traced and arrested the accused, who has been taken into custody and remanded to judicial custody.

According to police, the accused Aravind Gavali’s wife had delivered a baby two months ago and was staying at her parental home. Aravind had allegedly been subjecting her to mental harassment and frequently insisted on video calls to see the infant.

On the day of the incident, his mother-in-law, 45-year-old Mahadevi (45) reportedly advised him to limit calls, stating that it was not possible to remain on the phone throughout the day. This reportedly angered Aravind, who allegedly abused Mahadevi over the phone. When she warned him not to visit her house, he is said to have forcibly entered the residence, attacked her with a knife and fled the scene.

Mahadevi sustained serious injuries in the attack and was immediately shifted to the hospital for emergency treatment. Investigations are underway.

It can be recalled that police in August 2025 cracked the Lakshmi Devi murder case in Koratagere in Tumakuru and arrested her dentist son-in-law, Dr Ramachandrappa S. and his two accomplices. The police found that Lakshmi Devi (42) was brutally murdered and chopped into 19 pieces. The police stated that Ramachandrappa had doubts over Lakshmi Devi’s character, causing embarrassment to him, which made him take the extreme step.

During interrogation, the accused confessed that they had murdered Lakshmi Devi and, with the intention of destroying evidence, cut the dead body into pieces, packed them in plastic covers, and disposed of them at various places.

In January 2025, a 43-year-old woman, Renuka Padmuki, was stabbed to death in Belagavi district. Her son-in-law, 24-year-old Shubham Datta Birje, was arrested along with his parents. The murder occurred following an argument over the son-in-law’s alleged negligence towards the victim’s daughter.