Bengaluru grindstone murders: Bodies of all seven victims recovered from multiple locations

The bodies of all seven victims in the Rajajinagar serial murder case have been recovered, with police retrieving the last two missing bodies from the forest ravines of Shiradi Ghat near Hassan on Monday, November 9.

The victims were identified as Shankar and his wife, Nalini. Their bodies were shifted to a hospital in Hassan for post-mortem examinations and DNA tests.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Division) BS Nemagoud said the investigation is now moving to the next stage. The recovery of the bodies followed a four-day search operation across multiple locations in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Search teams traversed dense forests, steep terrain and ravines to locate the remains.

The search began on Friday at the foothills of Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur, where police recovered the body of seven-year-old Puneeth. On Saturday, investigators recovered the bodies of Indushekhar’s wife Sunitha and her mother Rupavathi from the forests of Yercaud in Salem, Tamil Nadu.

Two more bodies, identified as Shivakumar and his wife Divya, were recovered near the forest trails of Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on Sunday. The remaining two bodies were found in Shiradi Ghat on Monday.

Forensic examination revealed that all seven bodies had been wrapped similarly. They were covered in old household clothes, including saris and bedsheets, placed inside heavy plastic sheets and secured with multiple ropes.

The police also found that the prime accused, Indushekhar, allegedly sprayed perfume inside his Toyota Etios to mask the smell of decomposition while transporting the bodies. The cab driver is suspected to have used the vehicle on different dates to dispose of the bodies at separate locations.

The murders, allegedly carried out over about 15 days at a house in Rajajinagar, came to light after Thungamma, Nalini’s mother, approached the police when family members repeatedly failed to answer phone calls.

Indushekhar, a cab driver who also ran a YouTube channel, was arrested on November 5. Police allege that he killed seven members of his wife's family, packed their bodies in gunny bags and transported them in his car before dumping them at different locations. The police allege that Indushekhar used a heavy household grinding stone to kill the seven victims. They suspect that he first sedated some of the victims with sleeping pills before killing them.

Police suspect that frequent arguments between Indushekhar and Sunitha over her continued association with her parental family may have led to the killings.

An 11-year-old boy, the son of Shankar and Nalini, is a key witness in the case. Police rescued him on November 5 after suspecting that he could be Indushekhar's next target.

The boy allegedly witnessed the murders and told investigators that he heard his mother's screams. He also recalled being taken to places including Dharmasthala and Sringeri, and seeing bags being discarded along the way. When he questioned Indushekhar about the bags, he was allegedly told they contained garbage.

His account is likely to form an important part of the prosecution's case, along with forensic findings and other material evidence.

Meanwhile, preliminary post-mortem findings indicate that seven-year-old Puneeth died of a brain haemorrhage caused by four blunt-force injuries to his head, including injuries to his forehead and crown.