The Attibele police have arrested Basavaraju, a 45-year-old businessman, for allegedly killing his wife, Vidya M., by injecting mercury into her body ten months ago. Vidya died on Tuesday at Victoria Hospital after severe organ failure and months of treatment. Following her death, the police changed the charges to dowry death. Basavaraju denied injecting mercury and claimed during interrogation that Vidya was 'mentally ill' and they often quarreled. Despite this, police arrested him based on Vidya’s recorded video statement before her death. She said her husband locked her inside their home, body-shamed her after childbirth, and injected mercury into her right thigh on February 26 while she was asleep. Vidya sought medical help on March 7 at Attibele Government Hospital and was later moved to a private hospital after mercury was found in her body. Her kidneys were severely damaged, and she was on dialysis until her condition worsened. Basavaraju and his father, Mariswamychar, were initially charged with cruelty and attempted murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 85 and 109(1). After Vidya’s death, Section 80 for dowry death was added. Basavaraju remains in judicial custody while the investigation into his father continues. Police await final post-mortem and toxicology reports to confirm mercury poisoning. Vidya and Basavaraju had been married for five years and have a four-year-old son. They met through a matrimony site. Basavaraju owns an automobile shop on Sarjapur Road.