Bodies of last 2 victims killed by Bengaluru cabbie found near Mangaluru highway

Police recovered Shankar and Nalini's bodies from Shiradi Ghat, completing the search for seven victims. Investigators are probing whether the accused's teenage daughter was manipulated into helping dispose of the bodies.

In Short

• Last two bodies found in Shiradi Ghat forest
• Victims found across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
• Accused confessed after missing-person complaint

Police have recovered the last two bodies in the brutal massacre of seven members of a family carried out by a Bengaluru cab driver, bringing an end to the search for the victims.

The bodies of Shankar and his wife, Nalini, were found in the Shiradi Ghat forest area near the Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway on Monday, police said.

Shankar was the brother of Sunita, the accused Indusekar's wife.

The seven victims were Sunita, her mother Roopavathi, Shankar, his wife Nalini, Sunita's other brother Shivakumar, his wife Divya, and their seven-year-old son Puneeth.

The bodies of Sunita and Roopavathi were found in the Yercaud forest area in Salem district of Tamil Nadu. Shivakumar and Divya were found near Chamundi Hills in Mysuru, while Puneeth's body was recovered near Nandi Hills.

The case came to light after a missing-person complaint was registered on November 3.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime and also revealed where he had disposed of the bodies, following which police teams launched searches at multiple locations.

Police sources said Indushekhar and Sunita, who had been married for nearly 20 years, often fought over her visits to her parental home. Efforts by family members to resolve the differences failed to end the disputes.

Investigators suspect Indushekhar grew resentful of the support Sunita received from her mother and brothers, and eventually turned against the entire family.

The killings unfolded over 15 to 20 days. Police suspect Indushekhar drugged the victims before bludgeoning them with a grinding stone, packing their bodies into plastic bags and dumping them at different locations.

After each killing, he would allegedly return home, clean up and prepare for the next murder, police sources said.

Investigators are also examining whether he manipulated his teenage daughter into helping him dispose of the bodies.

An official said the girl was believed to be around 17 or 18, and her alleged role in the case was being probed.

- Ends
(With PTI inputs)