Days after Bengaluru CEO Suchana Seth was arrested for allegedly murdering her four-year-old son, new details are emerging in the case, providing clues as to why she may have perpetrated the heinous crime.
Suchana Seth, the 39-year-old AI ethics expert and CEO of The Mindful AI Lab in Bengaluru, was arrested on Monday night in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district after she fled from Goa in a cab with her son’s body in a bag.
The Goa Police has now revealed that they have found a crumpled note, which could serve as a vital clue in the murder as it offers an insight into Seth’s mental state at the time.
What does the note reveal? What else have we learnt of the case so far?
A note written with eyeliner
As investigations continue into the murder of the four-year-old son of Suchana Seth – she has earlier denied committing the murder, authorities have found a crumpled note, revealing a six-line message, within the suitcase containing the lifeless body of the minor.
The note written with eyeliner, according to authorities, has revealed Seth’s mental state at the time, alluding she didn’t want custody of her son to go to her estranged husband – Venkatraman PR.
Sources that are aware of the investigations told the media that the note hinted at Seth’s estranged ties with her husband, and she was unhappy with the court order allowing Raman to meet the child. “Court and my (estranged) husband pressurising me to give custody of my son, and I cannot take it anymore,” reads the note, according to a report by the Times of India. “My ex-husband is violent… he used to teach bad manners to (my) son. I don’t want to give even a day’s custody to the father.”
The investigators has sealed the letter and sent it to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination by a handwriting expert. At the same time, they have also taken samples of Seth’s handwriting.
Officials believe the note could prove to be a crucial piece of evidence as it could help ascertain the Seth’s state of mind and motivations. An officer told the Times of India, “The note we have attached is a crucial piece of evidence in the case, establishing her mental condition. The issue of custody of her son must have been at the back of her mind for many days, triggering the drastic step.”
Son’s face reminder Seth of husband
Apart from the discovery of the note, new details have also emerged in the killing of the four-year-old.
It has been reported that Seth had allegedly told her friends and family that her son resembled her estranged husband and always reminded her of their troubled relationship.
Also read: Did Bengaluru CEO Suchana Seth ‘kill’ her son to stop him from meeting his father?
As per investigations, her estranged husband Raman had called her up and had told her he wanted to meet their son (in accordance with the court order). However, Seth was doing all she could to avoid the meeting.
Recreating the crime scene
The authorities will today (12 January) return to the service apartment named ‘Sol Banyan Grande’ in North Goa’s Candolim to recreate the crime. Investigations so far have shown that she checked into the apartment on 6 January and stayed there until 8 January.
It is believed that she killed her son there, with the post-mortem report saying that the four-year-old was smothered by a pillow. The cops had earlier found two Benadryl cough syrup bottles in the room, suggesting that she may have administered the syrup to the child to kill him. The cops say that she then stuffed his body into a bag and took it back to Karnataka in a taxi on Monday.
When the apartment staff went to clean the room, they found blood stains on a towel. The staff immediately informed the police and told them that she carried an unusually heavy bag, and her son was not seen with her.
Cab driver reveals more
The cab driver that Suchana Seth used to travel from Goa to Karnataka has also provided hints on the CEO’s state of mind at that time. Ray John, the taxi driver, said that Seth was calm and didn’t utter a single word during the entire trip that lasted more than 10 hours.
John revealed that it was the staff at the service apartment who booked him. “When I reached the service apartment, she (Seth) asked me to carry her bag from the reception to the taxi. It was heavy.
I asked her whether we could remove some belongings from the bag to make it lighter. But she refused. We had to drag the bag to the boot of the car.”
The driver said that the only time she spoke was when she asked him to get a bottle of water when they reached Bicholim town in North Goa. He also told News18 that when he pulled into the police station that she showed no signs of distress and didn’t give any reaction.
Notably, once inside the police station, policewomen opened Seth’s red bag and beneath a pile of three-four clothing items, saw the hand of the dead child. Suchana Seth reportedly did not react even when her son’s body was discovered in her red bag.
Four-year-old laid to rest
Earlier on Wednesday, the four-year-son was laid to rest at a burial ground in Bengaluru’s Rajajinagar. The final rites were conducted by Seth’s husband.
Seth’s husband, Venkatraman, who was in Indonesia flew down to Bengaluru and then travelled to Chitradurga where the boy’s body was kept. After he arrived, the police completed the formalities and released the minor’s body for the last rites.
Meanwhile, people who know Suchana Seth have expressed shock over allegations that she allegedly killed her son. Her neighbour, told Times Now, that Seth was a loving mother and she couldn’t even imagine her slapping her son. For her, the allegations of murder against Seth seemed “stranger than fiction”.
With inputs from agencies
Link to article –
How a note by Bengaluru CEO who ‘murdered’ son could serve as a vital piece of evidence
