- 12 hours ago
In a chilling case that has shocked Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru cab driver Indu Shekhar is accused of murdering seven members of his wife's family within just 15 to 20 days, dumping their bodies across two states and nearly 400 kilometres.
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00:11seven murders four districts two states bodies scattered across nearly 400 kilometers
00:17the cab driver from Bengaluru Indu Shekhar is accused of murdering seven members of his own
00:23family or basically that of his wife in a span of 15 to 20 days the victims included his wife
00:31his mother-in-law his two brothers-in-law their wives and a seven-year-old child what makes this
00:38case particularly chilling is not just the brutality of the murders it's the meticulous
00:42planning that has shocked everyone for each murder after the target he packed the bodies
00:50transported them hundreds of kilometers away dumping them separately in remote forest areas
00:56hills apparently leaving little to connect him to the crimes or to a thread of suspicions and in an
01:04avoid to attempt all of this he also allegedly used his own 17 year old daughter and 11 year old
01:10nephew
01:10as cover what drove him to wipe out an entire family and that is of its own wife and how
01:18did a cab driver
01:19allegedly managed to carry out seven murders so meticulously without raising an alarm for days
01:39it began with a missing persons complaint seven members of an extended family had suddenly become
01:47unreachable their phones were switched off and relatives could not contact them
01:59the person who appeared to have answers was in the shake her a Bengaluru cab driver who also projected
02:07himself as a crime reporter according to police he allegedly told relatives that the missing family members
02:16had gone on trips but investigators were about to uncover a horrifying truth
02:26on November 2nd the relatives approached
02:29sriramapurah police station a formal missing persons complaint was registered on November 3rd by thungamma the mother of nalini
02:39police examined mobile phone records and tower locations
02:44they discovered that the phones of six missing family members had reportedly shown activity in the same location
02:52cell phone and the neighbors of the family from indus sheikas phone was also active there
02:56the suspicion turned towards the cab driver
03:09In Srinampura limits of Nangelo city, Srinampura police station limits, there was a missing
03:16case registered by one Tungamma stating that some of their relatives are missing since
03:23a few days.
03:24Based on that, the missing case was registered and subsequently they had doubt on some of
03:31their own relation.
03:34On November 4, police tracked him to a Halasuru gate where he had reportedly gone to get documents
03:41photocopied.
03:44He was travelling in his Toyota Itios accompanied by his minor daughter and Yatin, the 11-year-old
03:52son of Shankar.
03:55As police surrounded the vehicle, Indushekar allegedly abandoned the children and escaped.
04:01He was eventually arrested later that evening.
04:07During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to murdering seven members of his extended family.
04:15Investigators also claimed that it planned to murder two more people, including Yatin.
04:22The police has arrested a person who is in Rajajinagar limits.
04:30According to the version of the accused who is in our custody, he says that within a span
04:37of 15 to 20 days, which is subject to verification, he has murdered seven persons.
04:46Within all are his relations, more so he has murdered his wife and all relatives of his wife.
04:55What emerged during questioning was even more disturbing.
05:00Police say Indushekar allegedly divided the killings into three stages.
05:07The first involved his wife, Sunita, and mother-in-law, Rupavati.
05:12The second involved his brother-in-law, Srivakumar, his wife, Divya, and their seven-year-old son,
05:18Puneet.
05:19The third involved his other brother-in-law, Shankar, his wife, Nalini, and their 11-year-old
05:25son, Yatin.
05:26Investigators described this alleged strategy as a 2-plus-3-plus-3 plan.
05:33Seven people were allegedly murdered.
05:36The eighth intended victim survived.
05:41To understand how this unfolded, we need to go back to October 14th.
05:48According to investigators, the alleged motive began with domestic disputes.
05:55Indushekar and Sunita had reportedly been married for around 20 years.
06:00Their relationship was troubled by frequent arguments.
06:05Police claim he was particularly resentful of remarks made by his wife, which he felt humiliated
06:11him.
06:12After another argument on October 14th, he allegedly decided to eliminate her.
06:22Investigators said he purchased sleeping pills, plastic bags, ropes, and other materials.
06:32Then came October 16th.
06:37Inside their residence near Bhashyam Circle, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru, Sunita was allegedly murdered.
06:46Police claim that Indushekar mixed an intoxicating tablet into the alcohol given to his wife.
06:52After she lost consciousness, he allegedly attacked her with a grinding stone.
07:00His minor daughter reportedly witnessed the murder and was allegedly persuaded to help conceal it.
07:24The following day, October 17th, Sunita's mother, Rupavati, repeatedly tried contacting her daughter.
07:35Indushekar allegedly told her that Sunita was at home and invited her over.
07:40On October 18th, Rupavati arrived at his residence.
07:45Police claim she was served food and alcohol.
07:48While she was eating, Indushekar allegedly increased the television volume and struck her on the head
07:54with the same grinding stone.
07:58She, too, was killed.
08:04On the night of October 19th, Indushekar and his daughter allegedly transported both bodies in their car
08:11and dumped them in an isolated khat region between Salem and Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu.
08:23The first stage of the alleged murder plan was complete.
08:32The next target was Shivakumar, another brother of Sunita.
08:38On October 23rd, he reportedly tried contacting his sister and mother but received no response.
08:46Indushekar allegedly told him that the women had gone on a trip and invited him home.
08:51On October 24th, Shivakumar arrived with his wife Divya and their seven-year-old son, Puneet.
09:00Police claimed that the couple were served food and alcohol mixed with the sleeping pills.
09:04After they fell asleep, Shivakumar was allegedly attacked with a grinding stone.
09:15In the early hours of October 25th, Divya reportedly woke up and came out of the bedroom.
09:21She, too, was allegedly attacked and killed.
09:27Their seven-year-old son, Puneet, woke up after hearing the commotion and was also allegedly murdered.
09:36Three more family members were now dead.
09:44On October 27th, Indushekar and his daughter allegedly transported the bodies toward Mysore.
09:53The bodies of Shivakumar and Divya were dumped near Chamundi Hills.
09:58Puneet's body was reportedly brought back to Bengaluru and disposed of separately.
10:07Investigators also claim that Indushekar sent a message to Divya's mother from her mobile phone falsely suggesting that the family
10:14had gone on a trip.
10:17Five people had now allegedly been murdered and the final stage was approaching.
10:28By October 31st, Shankar, another brother of Sunitha, had become concerned.
10:37He reportedly tried contacting his sister, mother and Shivakumar, but received no response.
10:46Indushekar allegedly told him that the family had gone on a trip and invited him home.
10:54On November 1st, Shankar arrived with his wife, Nalini, and their 11-year-old son, Yatin.
11:01Police claimed the couple were served food and alcohol mixed with sleeping pills.
11:05And after they fell asleep, Shankar and Nalini were allegedly attacked with a grinding stone.
11:11Both were killed.
11:18According to investigators, Yatin woke up after hearing a commotion and questioned his uncle.
11:25Indushekar allegedly told him that nothing had happened and asked him to wait outside.
11:30After the murders, the accused reportedly postponed his plan to kill Yatin because he had to dispose of the bodies.
11:40On November 2nd, Shankar and Nalini's bodies were allegedly dumped near Shiradi Ghat, Hassan district.
11:50The body of Puneet was also reportedly taken to Nandi Hills, Chikkabalapur.
11:59By then, seven members of the family had allegedly been murdered.
12:09Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this case is the alleged use of children during the disposal of bodies.
12:16Investigators say Indushekar used his minor daughter and on some occasions, Yatin as cover.
12:22The boy was reportedly told they were going on family trips.
12:28He was taken to destinations including Kempe Gowda International Airport, Kukke Subramanya Temple, Dharmasthala and Srinegri.
12:40During these journeys, Yatin allegedly saw his uncle taking suspicious bundles out of the car and dumping them in isolated
12:47locations.
12:47He had no idea those bundles contained the bodies of his own family members.
12:57According to investigators, the accused believed that travelling with children would attract less suspicion.
13:04Yatin was also allegedly among his intended victims.
13:07But before Indushekar could carry out the plan, the police intervened.
13:13As investigators pieced together the murders, a disturbing pattern emerged.
13:25First, he allegedly invited the others to the house on the pretext of a party.
13:29He got his 17-year-old daughter to make the phone calls and bring them there.
13:34Second, he allegedly mixed sleeping pills and other intoxicating substances into his victim's food so that they would be unable
13:41to resist.
13:43Third, before each murder, he turned up the television volume inside the house.
13:48That way, even a victim screamed during the attack, their cries would not be heard by anyone outside.
13:55And fourth, after every murder, he used bleaching powder and other chemicals to clean up the bloodstains and remove the
14:02smell.
14:02He also reportedly sprinkled rose water at the crime scene to mask the odor.
14:11In other words, he allegedly took every possible precaution to ensure that nobody discovered what he was doing.
14:18And to a large extent, he succeeded.
14:25Another usual aspect of the investigation is the identity Indushekar allegedly cultivated.
14:35He projected himself as a crime reporter.
14:39His car reportedly carried the word press in large red letters.
14:43He ran a YouTube channel and published a tabloid newspaper called Tanna Varadi, roughly translating to a police station report.
14:53Investigators are examining whether he used his identity to cultivate contacts with police personnel and gain information.
14:59The car allegedly used to transport the bodies was a Toyota ETIOS registration number KA02AF1488.
15:10Police seized the vehicle and reportedly recovered a police station report documented inside it.
15:16The car had accumulated traffic fines of Rs.14,900.
15:22Interestingly, investigators reportedly found no traffic violations recorded between October 16th and October 31st.
15:32Police are examining CCTV footage and vehicle movements to establish the journeys made during this period.
15:42With the accused in custody, police began searching the locations he allegedly identified.
15:48The recovery operation stretched across two states.
15:55November 6, Nandi Hills, Chikkabalapur.
15:59The body of seven-year-old Puneet was recovered from a remote forested area.
16:03November 7, Yerikad, Tamil Nadu.
16:07The bodies of Sunita and Rupavati were recovered near Salem.
16:12November 8, Chamundi Hills, Mysuru.
16:15The bodies of Shivakumar and Divya were recovered.
16:19November 9, Shuradi Ghat, Hassan.
16:22The bodies of Shankar and Nalini were recovered.
16:39The bodies of Sunita and Nalini were recovered.
17:21After four days of searching, police had recovered all seven bodies.
17:26Seven victims, four districts, two states, nearly 400 kilometers.
17:34But why did Indushekhar allegedly decide to eliminate an entire family?
17:43The initial police theory focused on domestic disputes and resentment towards his wife and in-laws.
17:50But another possible motive has emerged.
17:54Relatives have reportedly alleged that Indushekhar was also interested in his in-laws' property
17:58and may have wanted to eliminate those who could potentially inherit it.
18:04Police are examining this allegation.
18:07The property angle remains unverified.
18:11The investigation has also brought attention to his elder brother, Bellathur Ramesh,
18:15who reportedly had a criminal history involving property disputes in a double murder case near Bellathur, Bengaluru.
18:23Ramesh died in custody in 2021.
18:25However, no connection between his criminal history and the present murders has been established.
18:33Meanwhile, sources associated with the special investigation team have reportedly claimed that Indushekhar was smiling while accompanying police personnel
18:41to the locations where the bodies were recovered.
18:46Investigators have also reportedly found previous snatching cases registered against him at Madanaya Kanahalli police station.
18:57DCP Namagauda has reportedly taken charge as the investigating officer,
19:02with three ACP-led teams probing different aspects of the case.
19:07Police are examining CCTV footage, mobile phone records, vehicle movements and forensic evidence to verify the accused statements.
19:19The family was reportedly preparing to conduct the last riots of the recovered victims together at Harish Chandra Ghat, Bengaluru,
19:29on November 10.
19:30The accused remains in police custody.
19:39Remember this.
19:41Seven lives lost.
19:43An entire family allegedly wiped out in less than three weeks.
19:46A trail of bodies stretching across two states.
19:49What makes the Indushekhar case particularly disturbing is the alleged calculation behind these crimes.
19:56Resorting to all immoral, unfair, illegal means.
20:01To avoid suspicion, every step appears to have been planned.
20:05But thankfully, 11-year-old boy is the eyewitness, the sole survivor.
20:12But think of the trauma that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.
20:16That he was used, or misused really, and his innocence was misused, to travel kilometres to dump the bodies allegedly
20:25of his own parents.
20:26His uncles and aunts.
20:28His grandmother even.
20:30I'm thinking all this while, that he's on a family vacation.
20:35The full extent of the alleged crimes and the answers to that remain.
20:39I hope that the boy, that 11-year-old, eventually gets to good counselling, gets to heal, and gets to
20:48realise that none of it was his fault.
20:51For now, the alleged killer caught, and the police are ensuring they reach to the bottom of this.
20:58Thank you for watching, Postmodern.