A missing persons complaint that unravelled Bengaluru’s seven murders

It was not until the mother of Nalini, one of the seven allegedly killed by cab driver-turned-YouTuber Indushekhar, lodged a missing person complaint that the police found the first clue to the murders. While the murders allegedly took place between October 16 and October 31, the last two bodies were disposed of on November 1 or 2.

Senior police officers said that Sunita, the accused’s wife, and Roopavathi, his mother-in-law, were the first to be murdered. Sunita and Indushekhar had been married for 20 years, and an officer said they had been having regular arguments throughout their marriage. Sunita worked as a typist for an advocate, while Indushekhar was a cab driver. Their respective jobs were often a point of contention between them.

“Indushekhar claimed that he was verbally abused and harassed by his wife and her family, while her brothers also encouraged her to fight with him,” a senior officer said.

Prima facie, the police have found that Indushekhar had been planning the murders for over a year. The growing friction and pent-up anger allegedly came to a head following a recent meeting.

“The accused claimed that Roopavathi had visited his house on October 14, when she and Sunita reportedly verbally abused him. This became a trigger point, and he wanted to eliminate them,” the officer said.

According to the police, Sunita and Roopavathi were murdered first. Subsequently, the accused invited Sunita’s younger brother Shivakumar and his wife Divya to his house on the pretext of hosting a dinner party. The couple were then killed along with their seven-year-old son Puneeth. On October 30, the accused allegedly invited Shankar, another brother of Sunita, and his wife Nalini, and allegedly murdered them.

Also Read : Did all the murders happen in the small house on the terrace?

Missing persons complaint

On November 3, Tungamma, Nalini’s mother, approached the police, stating that her daughter’s phone was switched off and that their house in Srirampura was also locked. Tungamma subsequently went to Indushekar’s house to check on him but found that his house was locked as well.

Sensing that something was amiss, she contacted Divya’s mother Kalavathi, who also said that her daughter and son-in-law were missing. Tungamma then lodged a missing person complaint with the Srirampura police.

Karthik, a shopkeeper near Indushekhar’s house, said a police team visited the house on November 3 and made inquiries about Indushekhar among the neighbourhood residents. “They also came the next day and questioned people because Indushekhar’s house was locked,” he said.

A senior officer told The Hindu that the police grew suspicious and began tracking Indushekhar. Several technical inputs indicated that he was on the move. “Finally, when he was in the city, we tracked him and intercepted his car,” he said.

Allegations

High drama unfolded near the Rajajinagar police station on Friday as Nalini’s family accused the police of delaying action on their complaint. “We approached the police on November 1 itself, but they did not register our complaint. Only after two days did they take it up,” a family member alleged.

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh refuted the allegations and said that action would be taken against the officers if any lapses were found.

Murder weapon

While the accused has claimed that he murdered the victims using a grinder stone, the police are yet to ascertain the exact modus operandi. “Only when the bodies are found can we verify the cause of death. We have seized the suspected weapon,” the officer said.

Seemant Kumar Singh, Bengaluru Police Commissioner, said, “As this is a serious case, we will gather all the evidence and present it before a fast-track court. We have deputed senior officers to closely monitor the investigation and ensure that all necessary evidence is collected.”