Bengaluru family massacre: Accused ran crime magazine, spared only two children

BENGALURU: More details have emerged about the ghastly family massacre in Bengaluru. According to the police, the accused, Indushekhar, harboured a grudge—which ultimately led to the murders—stemming from his wife Sunitha’s frequent visits to her parental home and the support she received from her family whenever conflicts arose. Indushekhar, a resident of Rajaji Nagar, also runs a crime magazine titled 'Thaanavarathi'.

Between October 16 and October 31, Indushekhar murdered his wife, Sunitha; her brothers, Shivakumar and Shankar; their wives, Divya and Nalini; his mother-in-law, Rupavathi; and Shivakumar’s seven-year-old son, Puneeth. He spared only his own 17-year-old daughter and his brother-in-law’s 11-year-old son.

The mass murder was uncovered following a police investigation into a complaint filed by Thungamma, the mother of Nalini, who had gone missing. Indushekhar first killed Sunitha; he struck her on the head with a grinding stone and subsequently dumped her body at Nandi Hills. He misled the neighbours by claiming that his wife had gone away on a trip, and he also switched off her mobile phone.

In the days that followed, he invited the families of Shivakumar and Shankar to his home for a feast and murdered them. The police stated that he sought the assistance of his 17-year-old daughter in carrying out these acts.

Using his own car, Shekhar transported the bodies and disposed of them at various locations at Shiradi Ghat, Chamundi Hills in Mysuru, and the Yercaud Ghat near Salem. Indushekhar spent an entire day driving around with an 11-year-old boy—whom he had spared—in the car. The child mentioned this in his statement to the police. The boy also recounted that, during the journey, sacks containing the bodies were discarded at different spots. So far, three bodies have been recovered.