Child allegedly killed by CEO mother cremated, pre-planned murder suspected
Bengaluru/Panaji (PTI): The four-year old boy allegedly killed by his mother, CEO of a Bengaluru-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup, was cremated in the Karnataka capital on Wednesday as it emerged in investigations by the Goa police that it may have been a pre-planned murder.
A teary-eyed Venkat Raman, the estranged husband of the 39-year-old Suchana Seth, hailing from West Bengal, performed the last rites at Harishchandra Ghat at Rajaji Nagar here.
Meanwhile, the Goa police have found two empty bottles of a cough syrup in a room where the CEO of Mindful AI allegedly killed the boy, indicating she might have given a heavy dose of the medicine to him and that it was pre-planned murder, an official said.
The post-mortem has revealed the child was smothered to death either with a cloth or a pillow, according to officials.
Seth, who was reportedly upset with the ongoing divorce proceedings with her husband, allegedly killed her son in the apartment at Candolim in Goa and stuffed the body in a bag before taking it to neighbouring Karnataka in a taxi, police said.
Seth, who was on her way to Bengaluru, was arrested from Chitradurga in Karnataka on Monday night on the instructions of Goa police and brought to Goa on Tuesday.
A senior police officer told PTI that during the inspection of the service apartment room where the woman stayed, they found two empty bottles (one big and another small) of a cough syrup.
"The post-mortem conducted on the body has indicated the possibility that the child might have been smothered to death and there were no signs of struggle," he said.
"We are examining the possibility of the woman giving a heavy dose of cough syrup to the child before putting him to death," the official said.
Enquiries with the service apartment staff revealed the woman had asked them to buy a small bottle of a cough syrup claiming she was having a cough, he said, adding the bigger bottle might have been carried by her.
"It looks like a pre-planned murder," the official said.
According to police sources, the accused has denied her involvement in the crime during the interrogation and claimed the child was already dead when she got up from sleep.
"We don't buy her theory. Further investigation will reveal the motive behind killing the child. As of now, we know that she and her husband were estranged because of which she might have done this," a senior police official said.
Seth checked into the service apartment on January 6 and stayed there till January 8 before leaving for Bengaluru in a taxi.
Following her arrest, a court in Mapusa town of Goa on Tuesday remanded her in police custody for six days.
The child's father, Venkat Raman, who hails from Kerala but is now based in Indonesia, reached Hiriyur in Chitradurga district on Tuesday night and took possession of his son's body after the post-mortem.
"He was strangled to death or what we call smothering. Either a cloth or a pillow was used. The child died due to strangulation. It doesn't look like the child was strangulated using hands. It looks like a pillow or some other material was used," Hiriyur Taluk Hospital's administrative officer Dr Kumar Naik told reporters.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Seth is an AI ethics expert and data scientist with over 12 years of experience in mentoring data science teams, and scaling machine learning solutions at startups and industry research labs.
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Hundreds of TVK supporters return disappointed from cancelled swearing in ceremony venue
Chennai (PTI): Hundreds of TVK supporters, fuelled by the hope of seeing their leader Vijay as chief minister, gathered at Nehru Indoor Stadium in the city on Thursday, only to be met with locked gates and a lack of information regarding the scheduled proceedings.
Many supporters, travelling from various parts of the state, near and far, like Arumbakkam and Coimbatore, expressed deep disappointment and confusion upon finding the premises closed and without official communication.
Speaking to PTI Videos, fans and party loyalists described a sense of heartbreak after arriving early to secure a place in line.
Charulatha, a supporter, noted the emotional toll of the situation: "We came with so much joy thinking he would become the chief minister today, but there is nothing here. The gates are closed. It is very painful."
Sai Deepika, her daughter and a student set to enter the 12th grade, shared her excitement for the event: "I was very excited to be here. I have been telling everyone he will win and do good things for the people."
A visibly distressed Gunasundari, a long-time political observer from a family of AIADMK supporters, stated she shifted her loyalty to Vijay: "I publicly say I voted for Vijay. I have a belief that he will help those in need. Seeing the gates closed like this is a shock."
Despite the confusion on the ground, the gathered crowd remained steadfast in their political choice. Several supporters highlighted Vijay’s decision to fund party activities independently as a key reason for their trust.
"He didn't take a single rupee from the people for his flag or the stage. He did it all himself," said an emotional Gunasundari. "Even if they try to shame him or create obstacles, he is the one who will eventually win."
Many attendees cited news reports and social media claims as their reason for arriving early on Thursday morning. Some supporters mentioned they had travelled via public transport and waited for hours under the impression that an official declaration or event was imminent.
"My son told me that declarations were made yesterday and everyone was coming today," Gunasundari added. "I didn't even tell him I was leaving; I just started my journey to see him in person for the first time".
