JOIN USThe City police are believed to have solved the gruesome murder of an Indian Institute of Science professor, his wife, and their son that shocked Bangalore in February 2009.
Six persons have been arrested in this connection and remanded in police custody till December 2.
While the police are tight-lipped about any breakthrough, sources say the suspects were apparently hiding in Bangladesh. One of the arrested is a woman, sources add.
During interrogation, sources said the suspects told the police they carried out the murder for gain.
When contacted, Commissioner of Police Shankar Bidari said “something of that sort has happened.”
He, however, refused to divulge details.
However, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Alok Kumar told Deccan Herald that he was not aware of any such development.
Gag orders
The police top brass have strictly directed their subordinates against divulging anything to the media given the high-profile nature of the case.
The City police had come in for sharp criticism as they failed to make any breakthrough in the initial days.
The arrests were apparently made some four days ago. The police subjected them to a through interrogation and collected details.
The crime
Professor Purshotham Lal Sachdev (70), his wife Rita (62), and their son Munna, in his early 30s, were strangled to death at their residence on 80 Feet Road, R T Nagar, on February 16 last year.
While Rita was strangulated with an electrical wire, Munna, who was suffering from Down’s Syndrome, was killed using a mobile charger wire.
Prof Sachedev’s body was dumped under the cot with a veil pinned to his neck. It was believed that the culprits jumped to the neighbouring R M Chanre Specialty Clinic and fled after locking the main door.
Murder for gain
Initially the police had ruled out it was a murder for gain as most valuables and other papers were found in tact.
On the night of February 14, 2009, the couple had dined out with Rajesh, their relative from Goa. The guest had dropped Prof Sachdev home. When Rajesh called up next morning, he didn’t get any response.
Later, he alerted another relative who got suspicious after seeing a padlock on the main door, which Prof Sachedev normally did not use.
Police had broken open the door and entered the house only to see the bodies.