BENGALURU: Three police personnel, including a former Kadugodi police inspector, were suspended for alleged dereliction of duty and delays in registering a murder case over the death of five-and-a-half-year-old P Vennela.
The suspended officers are Rangaswamy, former Kadugodi police inspector who is currently inspector of Electronics City traffic police station; Police Sub-Inspector Ningaraju, investigation officer (IO); and constable Halesh Nayak, who was then station writer.
Police said that initially an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) case was registered. However, despite the postmortem report indicating that the child had died due to suffocation, police allegedly failed to register a murder case or arrest the accused, thereby showing negligence in investigation.
In view of this lapse, orders were issued suspending the three police personnel. Based on a report submitted by the Joint Commissioner of Police (East), Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh ordered their suspension. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Banaswadi sub-division, East Division, was appointed IO for the case.
The girl's aunt (father Praveen's sister), a doctor in England, sought the help of her classmate, an IPS officer who is Inspector General of Police (IGP) rank officer in the city. She sought help since Kadugodi police had not registered the case as murder, despite the findings of the forensics expert in the postmortem report, saying the girl had died of suffocation. It is said that Kadugodi police did not take the IGP's request seriously.
Home Minister Priyank Kharge told on Friday that the three police personnel who had allegedly neglected their duties and violated legal procedures, were suspended with immediate effect. He explained that the postmortem report was received as early as April 4.
Once the report confirmed the death was suspicious, the officers should have treated it as a suspicious death, registered an FIR, and initiated investigation.
However, they allegedly kept the case within the scope of a UDR and adopted delaying tactics at their level. "This amounts to serious dereliction of duty," the minister said.
Kharge said, the government would not tolerate departmental negligence or any actions that violate the law under any circumstances and stringent action would be taken after the complete investigation report is received.
THE PROBE
A police officer said that Priyanka, an advocate, allegedly attempted to portray herself as a victim by blaming her live-in partner, Mohan G, for the death of her daughter. Priyanka was absconding since an FIR was registered against her and Mohan on June 4. Mohan was arrested the same day and was remanded in 10 days police custody. "It could be a manipulative tactic to gain sympathy and avoid accountability by shifting the blame to Mohan. She claims she was unaware of her daughter's death until the following morning.
According to her, while she was asleep, Mohan brought her daughter in and told her the child had already fallen asleep. Assuming her daughter was sleeping, she placed her beside her on the bed. Only the next morning did she realise that her daughter was no longer alive. She claims she initially believed the death to be natural. After receiving the postmortem report, she came to know there was foul play involved in her daughter's death. She maintains that she had no role in the murder, and applied for anticipatory bail. She also claimed she would have surrendered if she was involved in killing her daughter," an officer said, citing her statements.
Investigation also revealed that the accused bathed Vennela after her death and washed her clothes in an alleged attempt to destroy evidence. To evade arrest, she allegedly stopped using her mobile phone and bank cards and took Rs 5lakh in cash before going into hiding.
Priyanka was remanded in five days police custody on Thursday.
TRAGIC MYSTERY
March 24: Vennela dies
March 25: Vennela's father Praveen learns about her death
April 4: Postmortem reveals the child died of suffocation
June 4: Murder case registered against Mohan and Priyanka; Mohan arrested
June 11: Priyanka arrested in Sakleshpur, Hassan dist