Bengaluru Tragedy: Mother and Partner Booked for Murder of 5-Year-Old Daughter Months After Death

Three months after five-year-old Vennela was declared dead, Bengaluru police have registered a murder case against her mother and her live-in partner following allegations of foul play.

The death of five-year-old Vennela in Bengaluru has taken a dark turn, shifting from what was initially reported as a tragic household accident to a serious criminal investigation. On June 4, the Kadugodi police registered a case of murder against the girl’s mother, Priyanka, and her live-in partner, Mohan G., nearly three months after the child was found dead on March 25. While the accused initially maintained that the child had passed away peacefully in her sleep, subsequent investigations and legal pressure have cast significant doubt on their narrative.

A Story of Conflicting Claims

According to the FIR filed by the girl’s father, the sequence of events provided by the mother was riddled with inconsistencies. The father alleged that Priyanka claimed the child had eaten biryani on the night of March 24 before falling asleep in their car with the air conditioning running. The mother maintained that she and Mohan then visited a nearby cafe, eventually returning home where she moved the child to a bed. When the girl did not wake up the following morning, she was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

The father’s suspicions were ignited after he reviewed the post-mortem report and consulted his sister, a paediatric specialist based in the United Kingdom. Her expert opinion on the clinical findings led the family to believe that the cause of death was not natural. The father further alleged that the couple had attempted to destroy evidence of the crime before filing the complaint.

Marital Discord and Alleged Motive

The legal documents reveal a history of deep-seated marital conflict. The complainant, who married Priyanka in 2007 and shares two daughters with her, alleged that their relationship fractured after she reconnected with a former college classmate, Mohan, in 2025. The father claims that he was coerced into signing divorce papers, after which Priyanka moved in with Mohan. While their elder daughter remained in the father's custody, Vennela lived with her mother.

The father has alleged that the accused viewed the five-year-old as an obstacle to their new life together. As the investigation intensifies, Mohan has been taken into police custody for interrogation, and authorities are now tracking the mother, who has reportedly become untraceable. The case has gained significant attention across the local press, including the Times and Hindustan media circuits, as investigators work to determine the exact circumstances of the child's final hours.

The delayed registration of the case highlights the complexities authorities often face in domestic death investigations, where the proximity of the suspects and the initial absence of immediate suspicion can hinder the preservation of evidence. As the search for the mother continues, the community remains gripped by the disturbing allegations surrounding this case.