Bengaluru CEO may have pre-planned murder of son, cooking up suicide story: Police sources

Bengaluru, Jan 10 (IANS) The investigation into the murder of 4-year-old son by startup CEO mother in Goa has taken a twist with the police suspecting that the accused, 39-year-old Suchana Seth, was planning the crime for a long time and was cooking up the story of attempt to suicide.

Sources said that Suchana Seth, CEO of a Bengaluru-based Artificial Intelligence startup Company had put up a post on social media by putting the picture of her son and giving the hashtag "what will happen to him?" The police sources said that the post was written on October 10, 2023 and the development had aroused suspicions on pre-planning of the murder by the accused mother.

The police have also gathered information that accused Suchana Seth was arrogant and quarrelsome in the apartment premises.

Sources also said that Venkataramana, the father, after getting entitled to visitation rights had arrived from Jakarta in Indonesia to Bengaluru to meet his son on Sunday. He had brought toys and new clothes for the child.

But, Suchana Seth had taken the kid to Goa on Saturday. Venkataramana made several phone calls and video calls to her but they remained unanswered.

Meanwhile, the family of the four-year-old, Chinmay conducted last rites at the Harishchandra Ghat here.

The heart wrenching scenes of Venkataramana, the father, carrying the body of his child in his both arms and walking towards the graveyard and grieving stirred emotions.

Venkaratarama and family have not given any statements and have requested the media for a later interaction.

Police sources said that once the final rites are performed, the Goa Police will question Venkataramana.

Accused Suchana Seth, had claimed that she attempted to render her son unconscious to stop him from talking to his father over video call by pressing the pillow on his face and the child was suffocated to death.

Suchana had claimed that later she attempted to commit suicide by slashing her hands, but failed. Not about to figure out what to do in the situation, she stuffed the body into a suitcase and checked out of the hotel.

The investigation has shown that the deceased boy had spoken to his father over video call on Sunday. Seth had confessed that she did not want her son to talk to father at all.

The preliminary investigations had revealed that she committed the crime to deny her ex-husband access to the child after a court granted him visitation rights. Venkataramana worked in a reputed company.

Goa Police in coordination with Karnataka cops arrested Seth for allegedly murdering her four-year-old son at a service apartment in Goa.

The incident came to light after the housekeeping staff found blood stains in the room she had stayed in.

After checking out, the accused had come out with a big suitcase to head for Bengaluru. As she was boarding the taxi, the hotel staff who had seen her son, enquired about the child.

The accused informed the staff that he had been sent to her relative’s place and left the hotel.

However, the hotel staff got suspicious after housekeeping staff found blood stains in her room and called the police.

After getting the information from the hotel, the Goa Police got the contact number of the taxi driver and asked him to stop as soon as he spotted a police station on the National Highway.

Accordingly, the taxi driver stopped the vehicle near Imangala Police Station. The Goa Police had briefed their Karnataka counterparts about the development. The police found the body of the child in the trunk of the car inside the suitcase.

The body was shifted to the mortuary and the accused was taken into custody, police sources said.

Police sources also stated that initially Suchana maintained that her son was with a friend and gave cops his address as well. The Goa cops had found that the address was fake.