The police were able to locate the CEO of Bengaluru-based company 'The Mindful AI Lab', Suchana Seth, who allegedly killed her four-year-old son at a service apartment in Goa's Candolim, thanks to a series of events that included a major traffic jam caused by an accident near the Goa border.
As she was trying to flee Goa, the woman got stuck at Chorla Ghat for four hours due to the accident. This unexpected delay turned out to be one of the reasons why police could apprehend her, reported NDTV.
Had she reached Bengaluru, it would have been challenging to retrieve the child's body, police sources told NDTV. Chorla Ghat is situated at the meeting point of the borders of Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. It is located northeast of Panaji, and is approximately 55 kilometers from Belgaum in Karnataka.
According to officials, the post-mortem examination has revealed that the child was suffocated to death using either a cloth or a pillow.
Suchana Seth, the accused woman, allegedly killed her son in the apartment in Candolim, Goa, reportedly due to a custody battle with her estranged husband. She then placed the body in a bag and took it to Karnataka in a taxi.
The police arrested her in Chitradurga, Karnataka on Monday night and brought her back to Goa on Tuesday. During the interrogation, the accused denied her involvement in the crime and claimed that the child was already deceased when she woke up.
Divorce documents between the couple show that Seth had filed a domestic violence case against her estranged husband, Venkat Raman, in August 2022. She accused him of physically abusing her and their son, although Raman has denied these allegations in court.
The court issued a restraining order against Raman, prohibiting him from entering his wife's home or contacting her or the child. However, he was granted visitation rights, which allegedly upset Seth.
Seth checked into the service apartment on January 6 and stayed until January 8 before leaving for Bengaluru in a taxi. Following her arrest, a court in Mapusa town, Goa, remanded her in police custody for six days. Mr Raman arrived in Hiriyur, Chitradurga district on Tuesday night and took possession of his son's body after the post-mortem examination.
Published 11 January 2024, 08:19 IST