Bengaluru cab driver kills wife, six family members in 15 to 20 days; disposes of bodies at different locations

Bengaluru: A cab driver allegedly murdered seven members of his wife's family, including a seven-year-old boy, over domestic disputes in Bengaluru. The killings are suspected to have taken place over a period of 15 to 20 days, police said on Friday.

According to PTI, the accused, identified as Indusekar alias Sekar, allegedly carried out the murders at his house within the Rajajinagar police station limits and disposed of the bodies at different locations across Karnataka.

He has been taken into police custody and is being questioned about the locations where he allegedly dumped the bodies. Police have recovered the boy's body following an extensive search near Nandi Hills and launched a hunt for the remaining six.

"This was not some stray incident. It was an act carried out by an individual who appears to have meticulously planned the murders of his own relatives," Home Minister Priyank Kharge told reporters. The motive behind the killings is yet to be established, he said.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said a missing-person complaint was registered at Srirampura police station on November 3. The investigation subsequently revealed the alleged murders, following which the case was converted into a murder case and registered at Rajajinagar police station.

The victims have been identified as Sunita, the accused's wife; Rupavathi, his mother-in-law; Shivakumar and Shankar, his brothers-in-law; Divya and Nalini, the wives of Shivakumar and Shankar respectively; and Puneeth, the seven-year-old son of Shivakumar and Divya.

"According to the accused's statement, he had murdered seven of his relatives, including his wife," Singh said.

Only one body had been recovered so far, while efforts were underway to trace the remaining six. Special police teams have been dispatched to various locations based on information provided by the accused, he added.

The Joint Commissioner of Police and the North Division Deputy Commissioner of Police are personally supervising the investigation, Singh said.

Police suspect that the murders took place at the accused's residence over the last 15 to 20 days. The exact timeline of the killings is yet to be established.

According to police sources, Sekar allegedly murdered his wife Sunita first, using a grinding stone, and disposed of her body near Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur district. He then switched off her mobile phone and allegedly told neighbours that she had gone on a trip to avoid suspicion.

The following day, he allegedly invited Shivakumar and Shankar to his house for a party and killed them. He subsequently murdered Divya, Nalini, Rupavathi and Puneeth, sources said.

The case came to light after Nalini's mother lodged a missing-person complaint at Srirampura police station on November 3. During the investigation, police uncovered the multiple killings and arrested the accused.

Police sources said he allegedly used chemicals to clean the house and remove bloodstains after the murders. The police have seized the car allegedly used to transport the bodies and the grinding stone suspected to have been used in the killings.

The accused is suspected to have disposed of the bodies at different locations, including Nandi Hills and Charmadi Ghat in coastal Karnataka.

Kharge said the preliminary investigation suggested that the accused had not been treating his family members properly and that his mental condition required examination. However, he cautioned against drawing conclusions about the motive or his mental health at this stage.

"Whether it was related to property or whether he was mentally unwell is yet to be established. He has reportedly claimed that he was somewhat depressed because of problems within his family. But we don't know. Let us not jump to conclusions," the home minister said.

He further alleged that the accused had targeted his wife's family and brainwashed his daughter into helping him dispose of the bodies.

The daughter, who is believed to be around 17 or 18 years old, is also being investigated for her alleged role in the crime, Kharge said.