Bengaluru: A 40-year-old lawyer was arrested by the Bengaluru Police on Thursday in connection with the alleged murder of her six-year-old daughter three months ago.
It has been alleged that the lawyer, named Priyanka, and her boyfriend G M Mohan killed her daughter Vennela in Kadugodi and tried to pass it off as a natural death.
While Vennela was reported dead on March 25, a day after her birthday celebrations, the Kadugodi police registered a murder case only on June 4 based on a complaint filed by the girl’s father, Praveen Basappa, a teacher and owner of a school in Davanagere. Mohan was arrested on June 6. Basappa alleged that Priyanka and Mohan had murdered the six-year-old girl, as reported by The Indian Express.
Priyanka and Basappa’s marriage had deteriorated after she reconnected with Mohan, a former college mate and alleged former lover, during a visit to Bengaluru in late 2025, it was stated in the complaint.
It was alleged by Basappa that after the relationship resumed, Priyanka began living separately with Mohan and Vennela, while the couple’s elder daughter remained with him.
Priyanka claimed that the child was taken out for her birthday on March 24 and later left sleeping in a parked car with the air conditioning on, while she and Mohan went to a coffee shop. The next morning, Vennela was found unresponsive and was declared dead on arrival at a hospital.
Basapppa insisted on an autopsy and later approached the police, alleging that the child’s death was not natural, following concerns raised after reviewing post-mortem findings.
Priyanka had been on the run since. After her arrest, she was remanded to police custody for five days.
“Priyanka’s custodial interrogation could help us piece together the sequence of events leading up to Vennela’s death. We are examining all possible circumstances, including whether the child was suffocated or poisoned, and are verifying all collected evidence, including medical records and forensic findings,” a senior police officer said.
