Bengaluru Child Murder Case: Police Investigate IVF Plans and Possible Motives
A six-year-old girl named Vennela was allegedly murdered in Bengaluru on March 24 by her mother Priyanka and Priyanka's live-in partner Mohan, who confessed to striking the child and smothering her after she spilled ice cream in their car. Priyanka, an advocate, was arrested on June 11 in Sakleshpur after fleeing Bengaluru, while Mohan had been arrested on June 4 and placed in police custody. The case has also triggered the suspension of three police officers who allegedly delayed registering a formal complaint despite receiving the post-mortem report as early as April 4.
Six-year-old Vennela was found dead on March 25 in Bengaluru, a day after an outing with her mother Priyanka and Priyanka's live-in partner Mohan GN, a real estate developer. Mohan allegedly confessed to police that he struck the child in the stomach with his elbow and forcibly covered her mouth to muffle her cries after she spilled ice cream in their vehicle near Hoskote. A histopathology report confirmed internal abdominal injuries consistent with the confession, and police are conducting advanced forensic testing on the vehicle. Priyanka, who gave conflicting accounts of her daughter's death to the child's father Praveen, fled Bengaluru after an FIR was registered on June 4, traveling to Mysuru before being arrested at a homestay in Sakleshpur on June 11 and remanded to five days of police custody. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh suspended three officers — an inspector, a sub-inspector, and a constable — for allegedly keeping the case classified as an Unnatural Death Report rather than registering an FIR after the post-mortem results arrived on April 4. Home Minister Priyank Kharge stated the delay constituted serious dereliction of duty, and an ACP-rank officer from a separate division has been appointed to investigate the full circumstances of the murder. The exact motive remains under investigation, with police also probing reports of Priyanka's alleged dissatisfaction with her daughter's complexion as a possible contributing factor.
What's missing
It remains unclear whether Mohan's confession has been independently corroborated beyond the pending forensic report on the vehicle, and the legal basis or evidence for Priyanka's direct participation in the assault — as opposed to her presence — has not been detailed in any source.
How coverage differed
All four outlets covering the child murder case reported the core facts consistently; however, Hindustan Times uniquely introduced the angle of Priyanka's alleged dissatisfaction with her daughter's complexion as a possible motive, attributed to PTI, while other outlets did not mention this detail, potentially amplifying an unverified investigative lead.
What different sources said
- Times of IndiaCenter
Killed over complexion? 3 months after child's murder, Bengaluru lawyer, her lover visited IVF centre to
- NDTVCenter
Woman Blackmailed Using AI-Edited Obscene Video, 2 Arrested From Karnataka
- The New Indian ExpressCenter
Absconding Bengaluru mother arrested after live-in partner says assault over ice cream led to daughter’s death
- Hindustan TimesCenter
Bengaluru woman advocate, live-in partner held for her daughter's murder, ‘dissatisfaction’ with complexion under probe | Bengaluru
- The HinduCenter
6-year-old’s murder in Bengaluru: Three police officers suspended for dereliction of duty in handling the case
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