Suchana Seth ‘had booked hotel room for longer’, ‘texted husband day before son’s murder’

Seth was caught from Karnataka’s Chitradurga district while allegedly trying to flee in a cab with her son’s body stuffed in a bag. According to police, a truck mishap at Chorla Ghat, located at the intersection of Goa-Karnataka border, turned out to be “blessing in disguise” as the cab was stranded for over four hours, from 2 am to 6 am.

“The journey (from Candolim to Bengaluru) takes about 11-12 hours. Due to the overturning of a truck at the Chorla Ghat, the traffic movement was restricted and this delayed her trip by over fours. In the meantime, the hotel staff reported that they had found bloodstains and we were able to track the taxi driver and the accused,” said a police officer.

Police sources also said Seth had sent a message to her estranged husband on Saturday (January 6), saying he could come and meet their son on Sunday in Bengaluru, as mandated by a recent court order – the two are embroiled in divorce and custody proceedings.

Police said her husband, Venkatraman PR, who also runs an AI firm, was in Bengaluru at the time. “But when he did not get any response regarding visitation on Sunday, he left for Jakarta the next day for business purposes,” said an officer.

Police said that in Goa, Seth remained confined to the service apartment and ordered a coffee and some food from an online food aggregator on January 7. Police said a single CCTV was operational at the hotel, and its footage will be reviewed during investigation.

According to police, Seth’s mother is no more, while her father is in Kolkata. On Wednesday, police said a forensic medical examination of the accused was conducted, as per protocol.

“She was a frequent visitor to Goa, and had also visited last month,” said an officer.