BENGALURU: In a shocking incident, a 53-year-old cab driver allegedly murdered seven members of his wife's family, including a seven-year-old boy, over domestic disputes in Bengaluru's Rajajinagar area over a period of one week.
The accused allegedly dumped the bodies at different locations, including Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur district.
The accused, identified as Indushekhar, has reportedly confessed to the murders during police questioning. While one body has been recovered, a search is underway for the remaining six.
The deceased have been identified as his wife Sunitha, mother-in-law Roopavathi, brothers-in-law Shivakumar and Shankar, their wives Divya and Nalini, and seven-year-old nephew Puneeth.
According to sources, Shekhar had frequent disputes with his wife Sunitha, whom he married about 20 years ago, over her visits to her parental home.
Despite attempts by family members to reconcile the couple, their differences persisted. He allegedly grew angry over the support Sunitha received from her mother and brothers and decided to eliminate her family.
The killings took place in a residential neighbourhood on 59th Cross, near Basroom Circle, within the limits of Rajajinagar police station, according to sources.
Police sources said Shekhar first allegedly murdered Sunitha using a grinding stone, wrapped her body in cloth and dumped it near Nandi Hills.
He subsequently switched off her mobile phone and told neighbours that she had gone on a trip to avoid suspicion.
The following day, he allegedly invited his brothers-in-law, Shivakumar and Shankar, to his house for a party and killed them using the grinding stone.
He subsequently allegedly murdered their wives, Divya and Nalini, his mother-in-law Roopavathi and Shivakumar's seven-year-old son Puneeth, sources said.
The incident came to light after Nalini's mother lodged a missing-person complaint at Srirampura police station. During the investigation, police examined the missing persons' details, zeroed in on Indushekhar and took him into custody two days ago. His questioning reportedly led to the confession to the seven murders.
The accused allegedly used chemicals to clean the house and remove bloodstains after the killings.
Police have recovered the grinding stone allegedly used in the murders and the car used to transport the bodies. The accused has been taken to the suspected locations to help recover the remaining bodies.
Police are not ruling out the possibility of another family member being involved in the murders.
The Srirampura and Rajajinagar police are conducting parallel investigations into the case. While efforts are underway to trace the six missing bodies near Nandi Hills, investigators are also probing the motive and sequence of events leading to the murders.
Further investigation is underway.
(With inputs from PTI)