Bengaluru mass murder: Accused identifies wife and mother-in-law's bodies in a forest in Tamil Nadu's Salem

In a significant development in the gruesome murder of seven members of his wife's family in Bengaluru, accused Indushekhar has identified two decomposed bodies recovered from a forest area in Salem district of Tamil Nadu as those of his wife, Sunitha and mother-in-law, Rupavathi.Indushekhar is accused of murdering seven members of his wife's family, including his wife and a seven-year-old boy, over a domestic dispute in Bengaluru. (PTI)According to police sources, the accused was taken to the spot late Friday night, where he identified the two bodies. The remains had been discovered in a decomposed condition in the forest. Police are now preparing to take the deceased's family members to Salem again for further investigation and to complete the identification and recovery procedures after informing them of the development.The postmortem examinations are expected to be conducted in the presence of relatives, following which the bodies will be handed over to the family. A decision on whether to perform the last rites in Tamil Nadu or transport the bodies to Bengaluru will be taken after consultations with the relatives."The accused has identified the two bodies recovered from the Salem forest as those of his wife and mother-in-law. Further procedures, including postmortem examinations and handing over the bodies to the family, will be carried out in accordance with the established process," a senior police officer, on condition of anonymity, told HT on Saturday.The investigation has revealed that the accused allegedly killed seven members of his wife's family and subsequently disposed of their bodies at different locations.Two bodies were recovered from the Yercaud forest region in Salem in Tamil Nadu. The family members are expected to visit the location to identify the remains.Sold the deceased's ornamentsInvestigators are also probing the alleged financial motive behind the murders. Police sources said Indushekhar had allegedly removed gold ornaments, including chains, earrings and rings, from the bodies of his mother-in-law and other victims after the killings.The accused allegedly cleaned the bloodstained jewellery, sold some of the ornaments, and spent the money. He reportedly retained some of the remaining jewellery and pledged it to arrange money for fuel and travel expenses.According to investigators, he travelled between Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Chennai and Nandi Hills after the murders. Police are examining the transactions and movements to establish the sequence of events.Kannada message triggered suspicionA Kannada message sent from deceased Shankar's mobile phone reportedly played a crucial role in exposing the accused. Shankar's friends became suspicious when they received replies in Kannada from his phone, as he had not normally communicated with them in Kannada. This discrepancy prompted them to question the messages and alert the authorities, providing an important lead in the investigation.The accused, who was arrested in connection with the Rajajinagar mass murder case, has been remanded to 12 days of police custody by the 32nd Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court. Investigators are questioning him about the motive, the sequence of killings, disposal of bodies and possible additional locations.Police are also planning to take him to several locations, including Charmadi Ghat, Shiradi Ghat, Nandi Hills and Chamundi Hills, where he allegedly claimed to have disposed of bodies. Investigators are attempting to recover the remaining bodies and verify every detail of the accused's statements as the probe continues.