Stepfather suspected in murder of two schoolgirls in Bengaluru: Report

In a horrifying incident on Saturday afternoon, two schoolgirls were discovered murdered in their home in Amruthahalli, Bengaluru. The victims have been identified as 14-year-old Srushti and 16-year-old Soni, the Deccan Herald reported. They were found in a pool of blood by their mother, Anitha, who arrived home around 5:30 pm.
The discovery was made after she opened the half-ajar door of their residence, only to find a bloodied machete lying beside her daughters. Neighbours, alerted by Anitha’s cries, quickly contacted the police. Sajeeth VJ, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for the northeast division, spoke to the publication and confirmed that an FIR has been registered under BNS Section 103 for murder.
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“We have collected samples from the crime scene and have recovered the murder weapon. Though the stepfather is the prime suspect, we haven’t ruled out any other possibilities,” he said, as quoted in the report. Although the stepfather, Mohan, is the primary suspect, the investigation is keeping all possibilities open.
Mohan, a delivery person employed with a grocery delivery service, has been missing since the incident and has turned off his phone. Police suspect he may have fled the city, potentially boarding a train to another state, as the family is originally from outside Karnataka. Anitha, from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, and Mohan, from Dehradun in Uttarakhand, had been living together in Amruthahalli for the past two years following Anitha’s divorce from her previous husband, the report added.
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Initial investigations suggest that Mohan may have attacked the girls with the machete, delivering fatal blows to their necks. The murder appears to have occurred at around 3:30 pm. Police have questioned local residents and friends but found no indication of prior family disputes. “The exact reason for the murder will only be learnt after the arrest of the suspect,” another investigator said.