Bengaluru family murders: all seven bodies found, last two at Shiradi Ghat

Bengaluru Police have recovered the bodies of all seven members of a family allegedly murdered by a cab driver, with the last two found in the forest at Shiradi Ghat in Karnataka's Hassan district on Monday (9 November). Police say the accused, Indushekar, 52, killed his wife and six of her relatives at his home in Rajajinagar between 16 and 30 October and dumped the bodies at separate places across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. None of the allegations has been tested in court.

The two bodies found on Monday were identified as Shankar, 44, Indushekar's brother-in-law, and his wife Nalini, 29. They were the last of the seven to be traced. Police had found the body of seven-year-old Puneeth near Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur district on 6 November, those of Indushekar's wife Sunitha and her mother Roopavathi in a forest near Yercaud in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday, and those of another brother-in-law, Shivakumar, and his wife Divya near Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on Sunday.

The case came to light on 3 November, when Nalini's mother, Thungamma, filed a missing-persons complaint at Srirampura police station saying her daughter, son-in-law, grandson and other relatives could not be traced. Police rescued her 11-year-old grandson on Wednesday (4 November), when he was with Indushekar in his cab near Halasuru, and arrested Indushekar the next day. His 17-year-old daughter was also taken into custody, and police say she helped him pack and dispose of the bodies. Her role is being investigated; she is not named because she is a minor.

“The accused had called the victims one by one, murdered them and disposed of their bodies at different locations,” Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said after the arrest, according to The New Indian Express. He added that further interrogation would be needed to establish the exact method, motive and sequence of the alleged killings.

Police say Indushekar allegedly told them he had been in disputes with his wife Sunitha for nearly 20 years and resented her relatives for backing her. They are also looking at a possible property dispute, The New Indian Express reported. Investigators are examining whether sleeping pills were mixed into food and alcohol to incapacitate some of the victims, Hindustan Times reported.

The probe now turns to forensic examination and CCTV footage. Investigators are tracing shops in Yeshwantpur and RMC Yard where Indushekar allegedly bought gunny bags and other materials, and are collecting footage from them. The 11-year-old boy, whose parents were among those killed, travelled with Indushekar believing they were on a holiday, police told Hindustan Times, and he is considered a key witness. The families have decided to hold the last rites for all seven victims together, The Hindu reported.