Son's Body Stuffed In Bag, Bengaluru CEO Paid Rs 30,000 For Cab From Goa

Bengaluru:

Desperate to hide the fact that she was carrying her son's body stuffed in one of her bags, the CEO accused of killing him chose to pay Rs 30,000 for a cab from Goa to Bengaluru. This has been revealed in the police complaint filed by the manager of the serviced apartment in Goa, where Suchana Seth allegedly killed her four-year-old son.

The complaint says that the staff members at the serviced apartment pointed out to Seth that taking a flight would be much cheaper, but she "insisted" on travelling in a cab. A search on flight booking websites reveals that even last-minute tickets from Goa to Bengaluru are available for between Rs 2,600 and Rs 3,000 per passenger. 

The manager also said that Seth had booked the room from January 6 to January 10 - and had paid for it in advance - but checked out at 12.30 am on January 8. The complaint was filed later the same day. 

Seth, who is now in police custody for the alleged murder, is the CEO of Mindful AI Lab and claims that she is an "artificial intelligence ethics expert" on her LinkedIn profile 

Cough Syrup Request

Listing out the sequence of events in his complaint in the Calangute police station, Gagan Gambhir, the manager of the Sol Banyan Grande serviced apartment in Candolim, said Seth and her four-year-old son had checked in on the night of January 6 and were staying in Room 404.

READ | CEO Accused Of Killing Son Texted Husband The Day She Checked Into Goa Hotel

Mr Gambhir states that, around 4 pm the next day, Seth made a call to the reception and said she needed two bottles of cough syrup from a particular brand. The CEO said the bottles of cough syrup were for her, and they were handed over to her by a staff member. 

One of the angles being investigated by the police is whether Seth drugged her son using cough syrup and then smothered him with a pillow.

Five hours later, at 9.10 pm, Seth informed the staff at the serviced apartment that she had some urgent work in Bengaluru and asked them to book a cab for her.

Cheaper Option Rejected, Bloodstains Found

It was at this point that the staff members told her that taking a flight would be cheaper. 

"Our reception staff informed her that flight tickets are cheaper than hiring a taxi but she insisted for taxi. Accordingly, we had arranged one Innova Crysta... driven by one Rayjohn... for a fare of Rs. 30,000/-. She agreed for the same and on arrival of taxi, said lady checked out at around 00.30 hours on 08/01/2024 and after loading her luggage in taxi she left from the service apartment (sic)," the complaint states.

A few hours later, while cleaning the room, a member of the housekeeping staff noticed bloodstains and informed Mr Gambhir, who alerted the police control room.

The complaint states that some police officials visited Sol Banyan Grande and inspected Room 404, where they "noticed bloodstains in the living room, bedroom and bathroom". They also spoke to the watchman, who confirmed that Seth had left alone. 

Fake Address

The police called up the cab driver, requested him to pass the phone to Seth and asked her where her son was. The complaint states the CEO said he was staying with one of her friends in Goa's Margao and she was asked to send the address. A police inspector of Calangute police station asked his counterpart in Fatorda to verify the address, which was found to be fake.

READ | How An Accident On Goa Border Led Police To Bengaluru CEO Who Killed Her Child

The Calangute police inspector then called Royjohn and ordered him to drive to the nearest police station and ask officials there to check Seth's luggage. The driver took the car to Aimangala police station in Karnataka's Chitradurga where the police found the boy's body in Seth's bag, the complaint states. 

Psych Evaluation

Seth, who was remanded in police custody for six days on Tuesday, will undergo a medical examination as well as a psychological evaluation, police sources told NDTV on Thursday. The sources have also said that she has not been cooperating with the investigation and has shown "no remorse" so far.

The CEO, who allegedly also tried to die by suicide after the murder, had tried to explain away the bloodstains in her room by stating that she was on her period. 

READ | Father Performs Last Rites Of Child Allegedly Murdered By Bengaluru CEO

Seth was estranged from her husband, PV Venkat Raman, and police have said the couple is in the final stages of a divorce. She had accused Mr Raman of domestic violence last year and he was served a restraining order. He has denied Seth's claims and was also recently allowed weekly visitation rights to his son, which is believed to have upset the CEO.