6-year-old’s murder in Bengaluru: Three police officers suspended for dereliction of duty in handling the case

A day after the arrest of the victim’s mother, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh issued an order suspending three officers for alleged dereliction of duty in connection with the murder case of a six-year-old girl under the jurisdiction of Kadugodi Police Station.

The suspended officers include Rangaswamy H.M., former inspector of Kadugodi and presently posted at the Electronics Traffic Station; sub-inspector Ningaraju; and police constable Halesh Naik.

The suspensions follow arrests in the murder case of the child, Vennela. A police probe revealed the alleged involvement of Priyanka, an advocate and the mother of the deceased, and her live-in partner, identified as G.M. Mohan.

According to the police, the incident unfolded on March 24. The couple allegedly murdered the child and attempted to pass it off as an accidental death. Initially, the police registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR), noting that the incident was a death under suspicious circumstances. However, the father of the deceased, Praveen, grew suspicious and filed a complaint, but the registration of the complaint was allegedly delayed by the police. Persisting efforts from Praveen, who met senior officers multiple times, led to the registering of the case on June 4.

Lapses flagged in internal inquiry

Home Minister Priyank Kharge said that the child’s post-mortem report had been received as early as April 4. Once the report was out, officials should have immediately treated it as a suspicious death and registered an FIR to investigate the case.

“They (the suspended officers) illegally kept the case within the ambit of a UDR (Unnatural Death Report) and adopted a delaying approach at their own level. This amounts to a serious dereliction of duty,” the minister told media persons on Friday.

The suspension was based on an internal inquiry ordered by Ramesh Banoth, Joint Commissioner of Police (East Zone). The inquiry report noted that there were “lapses on the officers’ side in handling the case.” The report prompted Mr. Singh to initiate disciplinary action against the officers.

Motive under investigation

While the exact motive is still unknown, the department has appointed an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP)-rank officer from a different division to investigate the case. Police have taken custody of Priyanka, who allegedly went into hiding after the investigation intensified. She was arrested in Sakleshpur in Hassan district on June 11.

Police will now examine the circumstances under which the murder unfolded and the possibility that the officers intentionally delayed the registration of the FIR. Rangaswamy was recently transferred from Kadugodi Law and Order Police Station to Electronics City Traffic Station.