Woman arrested in connection with six-year-old daughter's death in Bengaluru
Two unrelated murder cases emerged this week: in Sydney, a 34-year-old man was charged with killing his 58-year-old mother after allegedly luring her to a meeting in Winston Hills, while in Bengaluru, a mother and her live-in partner were arrested for the murder of her six-year-old daughter. The Sydney case involves Ante Ivan Popovic, whose estranged mother's body has not yet been located, while the Bengaluru case centres on advocate Priyanka and realtor G.M. Mohan, who allegedly killed the child Vennela nearly three months ago. Both cases highlight failures in early detection, with Sydney police appealing for public help to find the body and Bengaluru police facing scrutiny over delays in registering a formal complaint.
In Sydney, Ante Ivan Popovic, 34, was arrested along a fire trail south of Nowra and charged with the murder of his 58-year-old mother, who was last heard from on Monday after telling family she was meeting a relative at a reserve in Winston Hills. Police allege the meeting was a pretext, possibly involving a request to borrow money, and that communications directed at the woman prior to the meeting were hostile in nature. Her car was found on Dodson Crescent in Winston Hills the following morning, but her body has not been located; police are appealing to the public for information. Popovic appeared briefly in court on Friday, did not apply for bail, and is due at Parramatta Local Court on August 12. In a separate case in Bengaluru, India, advocate Priyanka was arrested in Sakleshpur after allegedly going into hiding following the arrest of her live-in partner, realtor G.M. Mohan, in connection with the murder of her six-year-old daughter Vennela. The child's death on March 25 was initially treated as unnatural, but a post-mortem following exhumation confirmed homicidal violence; the accused had offered conflicting explanations, including illness from biryani and accidental asphyxiation in a car. The Kadugodi police are also under scrutiny for an alleged delay in registering an FIR despite early complaints from the child's father.
What's missing
In the Sydney case, the nature of the forensic material found by police has not been disclosed, and the current whereabouts of the victim's body remain unknown. In the Bengaluru case, the specific roles allegedly played by each accused in the killing have not yet been established by investigators.
How coverage differed
ABC Australia and the Sydney Morning Herald both covered the Sydney case with neutral framing, though the SMH article provided minimal substantive content beyond the headline and brief description, while ABC Australia offered significantly more detail including police statements, the suspect's movements, and victim background.
What different sources said
- ABC AustraliaCenter
Man charged over Sydney mother's alleged kidnapping murder
- The HinduCenter
Woman arrested for murder of six-year-old daughter
- Sydney Morning HeraldCenter
Man accused of kidnapping and murdering mother
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