'B'luru CEO may have planned son’s murder, empty cough syrup bottles found in her room'

A four-year-old boy, purportedly killed by his mother—a Bengaluru-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup CEO—was cremated in Karnataka's capital on Wednesday. Investigations by Goa police suggest the incident may have been a premeditated murder.

Venkat Raman, the grieving estranged husband of the accused, 39-year-old Suchana Seth from West Bengal, conducted the final rites at Harishchandra Ghat in Rajaji Nagar.

Goa police discovered two empty cough syrup bottles (one big and another small) in the room where the alleged incident occurred, hinting at a possible overdose administered to the child as part of the premeditated act. The autopsy indicated the child was asphyxiated, possibly using a cloth or pillow.

Reportedly distressed by her ongoing divorce proceedings, Seth allegedly committed the crime in her Candolim apartment in Goa. Subsequently, she transported the child's body to Karnataka via taxi. However, she was apprehended in Chitradurga, Karnataka, and returned to Goa for further investigation.

A police official stated that post-mortem results suggested the child had been smothered, without any signs of resistance. The official further speculated about the possibility of Seth administering the cough syrup to sedate the child.

Enquiries with the service apartment staff revealed the woman had asked them to buy a small bottle of a cough syrup claiming she was having a cough. Authorities suspect the larger bottle was carried by her, indicating premeditation.

According to police sources, the accused has denied her involvement in the crime during the interrogation and claimed the child was already dead when she got up from sleep.

Despite Seth's denial, authorities remain skeptical. A senior police official highlighted the ongoing investigation would delve deeper into the motive, considering the couple's strained relationship. Seth had checked into the service apartment on January 6 and departed for Bengaluru on January 8. Following her arrest, a Mapusa court remanded her to six days of police custody.

The victim’s father, Venkat Raman, currently residing in Indonesia, arrived in Chitradurga and claimed his son’s body after the autopsy.

Dr Kumar Naik from Hiriyur Taluk Hospital confirmed the cause of death as asphyxiation, suggesting the use of a cloth or pillow.

“It doesn’t look like the child was strangulated using hands,” he said.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Seth possesses over 12 years of expertise as an AI ethics specialist and data scientist, mentoring data science teams, and advancing machine learning solutions in various startups and research institutions.