A35-year-old private company employee and his five-year-old son were found dead under suspicious circumstances at their residence in Gudde Basavapura, under Chikkabanavara police station limits in Karnataka’s Bengaluru, on Monday morning.
The victims have been identified as Abhinandan, 35, a native of Kunigal, and his son Yaduveer, 5. Abhinandan was living at the house with his wife, Harini, and their son.
According to police, the incident came to light after Harini contacted the police helpline on Monday morning, reportedly telling them that the family had gone to a relative’s house and returned home on Sunday evening.
“When I woke up on Monday morning, I found my husband and son lying unresponsive,” Harini reportedly told the police.
Police personnel rushed to the house after receiving the call and found the father and son dead. Their bodies were taken into custody and sent for postmortem examination.
Senior police officers said there were no major external injuries on either of the bodies, though minor injury marks were noticed. The exact cause of death is expected to be established after the postmortem reports are received.
Police have also seized the mobile phones of both persons as part of the investigation. Officers are examining their call records, messages and other available digital evidence to establish the sequence of events before their deaths.
Deceased’s mother alleges murder
The case took a serious turn after Abhinandan’s mother approached the police and lodged a complaint alleging that her son and grandson had been murdered. Based on the complaint and other suspicious circumstances noticed at the house, police registered a murder case and began a detailed investigation.
Bengaluru North-West Division DCP Nagesh D.L. said investigators had noticed several suspicious aspects at the residence.
“Based on the call received on the police helpline, Chikkabanavara police personnel went to the house and conducted an inspection. Some suspicious aspects were noticed at the spot. Abhinandan’s mother has filed a complaint alleging murder. Therefore, we have registered a murder case and are continuing the investigation,” the DCP said.
The police are also investigating the CCTV footage available at the house. Although CCTV cameras had been installed, officers found that the footage had not been properly saved.
“We are investigating whether the CCTV cameras were deliberately switched off or whether the footage was not saved for some other reason. This aspect is also part of our investigation,” Nagesh said.
Police are questioning family members, including Abhinandan’s wife, as part of the probe. Investigators are also examining whether any person entered or left the house around the time of the deaths.