More than two months after a six-year-old girl was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Bengaluru's Kadugodi area, the police have registered a murder case against her mother and the mother's alleged partner. The case was lodged based on a complaint lodged by the child's father.
The case relates to the death of Vennela, who was found dead on March 25 at a rented villa in Seegehalli under the Kadugodi police station limits. Following a complaint by her father Praveen Basappa, police booked his estranged wife, advocate P Priyanka, and her alleged partner Mohan G Mahalingappa, a real estate developer, on charges of murder.
Police have arrested Mohan and secured seven days of custody for interrogation. Priyanka is currently absconding, and efforts are under way to trace her.
According to the complaint, Praveen and Priyanka had been married for 17 years and have two daughters. Praveen alleged that problems emerged in their marriage in 2025 after Priyanka travelled to Bengaluru for a legal matter and reconnected with her former college classmate Mohan. He claimed the two later began living together after she sought a divorce. While the couple's elder daughter remained with Praveen, Vennela stayed with Priyanka.
While explaining the circumstances surrounding Vennela’s death, Priyanka allegedly told family members that she had fed Vennela biryani and ice cream before leaving her asleep inside a car with the air conditioning running while she went out with Mohan. She said that she carried the sleeping child into the house after returning home.
The following morning, Vennela did not wake up. She was taken to Vydehi Hospital in Whitefield, where doctors declared her brought dead.
Initially, police registered a case of unnatural death and suspected food poisoning. However, the post mortem report did not conclusively establish the cause of death. Police also noticed inconsistencies in the explanations provided about the circumstances preceding the child's death and sent viscera samples for forensic examination. Suspicion deepened after Mohan moved for anticipatory bail soon after the incident.
Praveen told police that after obtaining the post mortem report, he shared it with his sister, a paediatric specialist based in the United Kingdom. According to the complaint, she expressed concerns that the circumstances pointed to possible foul play.
Based on these concerns, Praveen approached the police alleging that his daughter had been murdered. In his complaint, he alleged that the child had been assaulted and smothered before being taken to hospital. He also questioned the different explanations given regarding her death.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield) Saidulu Adavat said the police initially did not have the complete post mortem findings when Mohan obtained anticipatory bail. He said police later relied on medical and circumstantial evidence while challenging that relief, following which Mohan's anticipatory bail was cancelled.
Police have now converted the case into a homicide investigation and are examining multiple possibilities, including whether the child was suffocated after being left inside the vehicle or whether poisoning may have played a role. Police are awaiting the final forensic report and expert medical opinions before arriving at definitive conclusions.
The investigation remains ongoing.