Three police personnel, including a former Kadugodi police inspector, have been suspended over alleged lapses in the investigation into the death of six-year-old Vennela. The case was recently converted into a murder probe after her father alleged foul play.
Acting on preliminary findings that pointed to shortcomings in the initial investigation, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Friday, June 12, ordered the suspension of then Kadugodi inspector Rangaswamy HM, police sub-inspector Ningaraju Anninavar and police constable Halesh Naik. The officers have been accused of dereliction of duty in handling the case.
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. The child was living with her mother, advocate P Priyanka, who was separated from her husband Praveen Basappa. Priyanka was allegedly in a live-in relationship with realtor GM Mohan.
Following a complaint by Praveen, police registered a murder case against Priyanka and Mohan. Mohan was arrested soon after the murder case was registered. Priyanka, who had allegedly gone into hiding, was arrested on June 11 from a homestay in Sakleshpur in Hassan district. A court has remanded her to five days of police custody.
Police said a fresh investigation has now been entrusted to an Assistant Commissioner of Police from another subdivision. The officer has been tasked with examining the circumstances under which the case was initially handled and determining whether there was any motive or intent behind the alleged failure to investigate it properly.
The Commissioner said a detailed departmental inquiry would be conducted and further action would be taken based on its findings.
Praveen alleged that he and Priyanka had been married for 17 years and had two daughters. He claimed that after marital differences emerged in 2025, Priyanka began living with Mohan in Bengaluru. While the couple's elder daughter stayed with him, Vennela lived with her mother.
According to the complaint, Priyanka told family members that on the night before the child's death she had fed Vennela biryani and ice cream and left her sleeping in a car with the air conditioning switched on while she went out with Mohan. She later claimed she carried the sleeping child into the house. The next morning, Vennela did not wake up and was declared brought dead at Vydehi Hospital.
The case was initially registered as an unnatural death, with police suspecting food poisoning. However, the post-mortem examination did not conclusively establish the cause of death. Police later noted inconsistencies in the explanations surrounding the child's death and sent viscera samples for forensic analysis.
Praveen subsequently shared the post-mortem report with his sister, a paediatric specialist based in the United Kingdom, who allegedly expressed concerns about possible foul play. Based on this, he approached the police alleging that Vennela had been assaulted and smothered and Police later converted the case into a homicide investigation.
According to the Deccan Herald, Rangaswamy, who is currently posted at the Electronic City Traffic Police Station, denied any negligence during the investigation. He said the police had been awaiting the forensic science laboratory report and had repeatedly approached doctors for the final findings. According to him, the investigating officer had been advised to wait until the report was received before proceeding further.
The report added that Rangaswamy said a suspicious death case had been registered and that he was transferred before the investigation progressed further. He maintained that neither he nor the other officers had attempted to shield the accused and said the subsequent investigation by his successor ultimately led to the arrests.
