Bengaluru: Woman advocate arrested for daughter’s murder, police suspend three officers over probe lapses
A woman advocate, along with her live-in partner, has been arrested in connection with the alleged murder of her five-year-old daughter, days after they were
A woman advocate, along with her live-in partner, has been arrested in connection with the alleged murder of her five-year-old daughter, days after they were named as accused in the case, police said on Friday. The woman, identified as 39-year-old Priyanka, was taken into custody from a homestay in Sakleshpur on Thursday after evading authorities for several days. Police also announced the suspension of three officers — an inspector, a sub-inspector and a constable — citing shortcomings in the initial investigation. Priyanka’s live-in partner, Mohan G, who is considered the prime accused, had already been arrested soon after an FIR was filed based on a complaint lodged by the child’s father. Both Priyanka and Mohan have been booked on murder charges. The victim, Vennela, was found dead on 25 March. After a case was registered at Kadugodi Police Station on 4 June, Priyanka allegedly fled Bengaluru and first travelled to Mysuru before moving to Sakleshpur to avoid arrest.
According to investigators, Mohan admitted during questioning that he killed the child by physically assaulting her and then smothering her inside a car. Police are now interrogating Priyanka to determine her role in the incident, the motive behind the killing, and whether she was involved in planning the crime. A senior police officer said investigators are also examining claims that Priyanka was unhappy with her daughter’s complexion and whether that may have contributed to the motive. Addressing reporters, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said senior officers reviewing the case had identified multiple lapses in the investigation. As a result, the investigating officer has been replaced, and the probe has been handed over to an Assistant Commissioner of Police from another division. "There were some investigation lapses. We have taken action against those responsible for those lapses.
A report has been received regarding the matter, and we have acted accordingly. The intention certainly may not have been proper. That is why this situation has arisen, and we have taken action. We have to examine it further," Singh said. Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge questioned the handling of the case, stating that once the post-mortem report was received on April 4, police should have treated the death as suspicious and pursued a more detailed investigation. "Instead, the PSI registered it as a UDR (Unnatural Death Report) and kept it at his own level without proceeding further. That was a mistake and was against the law. Therefore, we suspended three personnel this morning -the Police Inspector, the Sub-Inspector, and the Constable. There were certain lapses on their part. We will continue the investigation," Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru.
The BriefWire