Wife, her mother, brothers, their wives and a child: Bengaluru cabbie kills 7 in murder spree

A Bengaluru cab driver has confessed to killing seven members of his family, including his wife and a child, police have said. Only one body, of a seven-year-old boy, has been recovered so far, with a search on for the other remains.

In Short

• Cops recover body of 7-year-old boy, search on for 6 remaining victims
• Police believe man bludgeoned victims to death, dumped bodies across city
• Man tells cops he resented his wife continuing to stay in touch with her family

In a chilling, two-day rampage that has stunned Bengaluru, a cab driver wiped out seven members of his wife's family, including his wife and a seven-year-old child, all driven by a simmering resentment over his wife’s frequent visits to her parents' home.

The tragedy began when acuused identified as Indushekhar murdered his wife, Sunita, and discarded her body near Nandi Hills. The horror, however, was only getting started. The following evening, under the guise of a friendly gathering, Indushekhar invited his two brothers-in-law to his home for a party. There, he executed a gruesome trap, slaying both men, their wives, his mother-in-law, and a young boy.

Authorities have identified the victims as Sunita; her mother, Rupavati; her brothers, Shivakumar and Shankar; their spouses, Divya and Nalini; and Shankar’s seven-year-old son, Puneeth. While police have recovered Puneeth’s body near Nandi Hills, a wide search remains underway to locate the remaining six victims of this horrific crime.

HOW THE KILLINGS UNFOLDED

According to police sources, the accused had frequent disputes with his wife Sunita, whom he had married about 20 years ago, over her visits to her parental home. Despite attempts by family members to reconcile the couple, their differences persisted.

Indushekhar reportedly resented the support Sunita received from her mother and brothers and decided to eliminate her family.

Police sources said he first murdered Sunita using a grinding stone, wrapped her body in cloth and dumped it near Nandi Hills. He then switched off her mobile phone and told neighbours that she had gone on a trip to avoid suspicion.

The following day, he invited his brothers-in-law, Shivakumar and Shankar, to his house for a party and murdered them using the same grinding stone. He subsequently killed their spouses, Divya and Nalini, his mother-in-law Rupavati and Shivakumar's seven-year-old son Puneeth, sources said.

The killings came to light after Nalini's mother lodged a missing-person complaint at Srirampura Police Station on Thursday. During the investigation, police uncovered the multiple suspected murders and arrested Indushekhar.

After the killings, the accused used chemicals to clean the house and remove bloodstains in an attempt to destroy evidence.

Police have seized the car used to transport and dump the bodies, along with the grinding stone suspected to have been used in the murders.

BOY'S BODY FOUND NEAR NANDI HILLS

In a four-hour search operation near the foothills of Nandi Hills, police recovered the body of a seven-year-old son of Shankar. The boy's body is the first to have been recovered in the case.

According to police sources, Indushekhar has claimed that he killed all seven family members. However, investigators are still verifying his claims and searching for the remaining bodies.

Indushekhar reportedly told police that he was distressed over domestic disputes. Police are also examining whether anyone assisted him in carrying out the murders, including the possible role of his daughter.

Police are also investigating how the murders went unnoticed despite the house being situated in a residential locality.

- Ends
(With PTI inputs)