Upset over son's health, cop kills him, ends life

BENGALURU: A 36-year-old head constable attached to the 5th battalion of the Karnataka State Reserve Police, Mysuru allegedly killed his 8-year-old son before committing suicide in a lodge at Cottonpet, central Bengaluru on Saturday.
Around 1pm Monday, hotel staff noticed a foul smell from the room in Vasanth Raj Paradise Lodge, where Vishwanath, 42, and his only son Sanchit, 8, from Netaji Nagar, Mysuru, had checked in on Saturday

Cottonpet police broke open the door to find Vishwanath hanging from the ceiling fan by a cable wire and his son lying dead on the bed. Police suspect Vishwanath killed Sanchit either by strangling or poisoning him.

Vishwanath left a suicide note addressed to his wife Divya, a lecturer in a Mysuru private college. He said he alone was responsible for the extreme step and expressed regret for killing his son.

Preliminary investigation revealed Sanchit was suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder since birth and had difficulty in speaking. The couple was depressed about their son's health.

Police suspect Vishwanath wanted to keep his wife out of his murder-suicide plan and brought his son to Bengaluru. Divya had filed a complaint with Mysuru police that her husband and son were missing.

Police said Vishwanath came with Sanchit to Bengaluru on Saturday and checked into the lodge. The staff hadn't noticed Vishwanath out of the room since Saturday.

"Both bodies were decomposed and have been sent for the postmortem. We're waiting for the autopsy report which will reveal the cause of Sanchit's death," a police officer said.

Police sources said Vishwanath told his wife in the suicide note that he was unable to take care of his son even for two days and wondered how she had tended to him for eight years. "I am sorry for taking our son with me. You lead a happy life," he wrote.

Divya and her relatives came to Bengaluru on Monday evening. "We recorded her father Basavappa's statement. He said the couple had sought admission for Sanchit in several schools but they refused as he couldn't speak. It also made the couple think about the son's future," police said. Cottonpet police registered a case of murder and unnatural death.