Bengaluru, Nov 10 — Police have recovered all seven bodies in the murder case involving members of a single family, with the investigation now focussing on establishing the motive behind the killings. The questioning of the accused, Indushekar, will be intensified from Tuesday under the direct supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police Nema Gowda.
Indushekar, who has been brought to Bengaluru, has reportedly told investigators during preliminary questioning that mental harassment by his wife and her family, along with property-related disputes, drove him to commit the murders.
However, police suspect that there could be other motives behind the crime and are cross-checking his statements to gather further information.
Police teams, accompanied by the accused, conducted searches in different parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to recover the bodies. After working day and night for four days to trace the victims and complete the necessary procedures, police recovered all seven bodies. The bodies were handed over to the respective families after legal formalities, and the final rites have been performed.
Based on information provided by the accused, a police team reached the dense forest region of Shiradi Ghat, spread across parts of Hassan and Mangaluru districts, on Monday and recovered the bodies of his brother-in-law Shankar and sister-in-law Nalini. Police had earlier recovered five bodies, including that of a 10-year-old boy.
The bodies of Indushekar's wife Sunitha and mother-in-law Roopavathi were traced near Salem in Tamil Nadu. The bodies of his brother-in-law Shivakumar and sister-in-law Divya were recovered from two locations in the gorges beside the road at Chamundi Hills in Mysuru. The body of 10-year-old Puneeth, Shankar's son, was found near Nandi Hills on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
At Chamundi Hills, one body was found close to the roadside, while the other had fallen into a deep gorge. Both bodies were retrieved and sent for post-mortem examination.
Indushekar, also known as Indu Shekar or Sekar, was arrested by the Rajajinagar police in connection with the alleged murders. The victims were identified as his wife Sunitha, mother-in-law Roopavathi, brothers-in-law Shivakumar and Shankar, sisters-in-law Divya and Nalini, and Puneeth.
The murders are suspected to have taken place over around 20 days, between October 14 and November 3. Investigators suspect that the accused brought his wife's relatives to his house in the Rajajinagar-Bhashyam Circle area on the pretext of family gatherings before allegedly killing them and transporting their bodies to different locations.
Police are also questioning his 17-year-old daughter and verifying her statements as part of the investigation. A 10-year-old boy reportedly survived the incident. Investigators are continuing their efforts to establish the exact motive behind the killings and verify the accused man's claims.