In the Bengaluru neighbourhood where S Indushekar lived, he was known as a troublemaker: a tenant who claimed ownership of his landlord’s house, a self-styled journalist who residents said threatened people, and a man whose frequent quarrels had made neighbours wary of him.
For more than 15 years, he moved between driving passengers, producing local news content and dealing with disputes in the building. The 52-year-old is suspected to have murdered his wif e, Sunitha; her mother, Roopavathi; her brothers, Shivakumar and Shankar; their wives, Divya and Nalini; and Shivakumar’s seven-year-old son. Investigators are now trying to establish how a man living in a crowded residential neighbourhood allegedly carried out seven murders over 15 to 20 days, concealed the bodies, and moved them across state boundaries. On Sunday, police recovered two more bodies, believed to be those of Shivakumar and his wife, Divya (both 30), from a forest area near the foothills of Chamundi Hills in Mysuru. The body of Shivakumar and Divya’s seven-year-old son was recovered near Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur district on Friday, while the bodies of Indushekar’s wife, 40-year-old Sunitha, and mother-in-law Roopavathi, 65, were found in the Yercaud forest area of Tamil Nadu’s Salem district on Saturday.
He lived in a small room on the terrace of a building in Rajajinagar area, above shops and a first-floor office occupied by a small political outfit. A cab driver who also called himself a journalist, he published a local newspaper and ran a YouTube news channel. He was arrested last week. “People in the building were always cautious around him. He would pick arguments over small issues, threaten people and create trouble for anyone who questioned him. Others described his arguments with motorists over parking. The case is still pending; the landlord has since died. The recoveries take the number of bodies found to five; a search is under way for the remaining two, focused on Karnataka’s Shiradi Ghat region.
Several residents eventually chose to leave rather than deal with him,” said a neighbour. Anand E., who heads a small political outfit that operates from a room in the building, said the landlord had warned them about Indushekar when they moved in. A shop worker said Indushekar had initially been friendly with the landlord’s son. The relationship soured after Indushekar filed a civil case claiming ownership of the house he lived in, another neighbour said.
He presented himself as someone who reported on crime and police matters, and residents said he invoked this when confronting people. Indushekar’s Kannada-English monthly tabloid is called Thaana Varadi, or Station Report. That press claim is now part of the investigation. Investigators are examining whether these helped him avoid routine scrutiny at police checkpoints. Police also found perfume bottles in the car, which they suspect were used to mask the smell of decomposing bodies. Police are also scrutinising a chain-snatching case registered against him at Madanayakanahalli police station about seven years ago. Investigators believe the marriage had grown increasingly strained over her visits to her parental home in Srirampura area and the involvement of her mother and brothers in the couple’s disagreements. “That is when he decided to eliminate not just Sunitha, but her entire family. Relatives had reportedly tried to resolve the couple’s differences, but the arguments continued. Police have not established whether this was a motive. Sunitha was allegedly killed first, followed by Roopavathi. The sequence and dates are based on the police investigation and the FIR (first information report) registered at Rajajinagar police station; these details are being further verified using digital forensics. Police suspect Indushekar invited relatives to his house individually, sometimes on the pretext of dinner. Investigators suspect sleeping tablets were mixed into food or alcoholic drinks before some of the victims were attacked with a kitchen grinding stone, and that the television was played loudly so neighbours would not hear. The bodies were allegedly wrapped in layers of plastic and adhesive tape, to stop blood leaking into the car and contain the smell, then placed in gunny bags. How they were taken down the narrow staircase from the terrace room remains unclear. Police suspect ropes may have been used to lower them. Investigators are also probing allegations that Indushekar removed gold ornaments, including chains, earrings and rings, from the bodies of his wife and three other women. He allegedly cleaned the jewellery, sold some and pledged the rest to pay for fuel and travel. Police are examining the transactions. Indushekar initially gave conflicting accounts of the relatives’ whereabouts. Six teams have been formed to investigate different aspects of the case.
An August 2026 edition named him as editor and publisher. Indushekar had been married to Sunitha for nearly 20 years. Thungamma, Nalini’s mother (who approached the police after family members disappeared), alleged that the killings were connected to a property worth around ₹ 3 crore. Investigators believe the killings began around October 16 at Indushekar’s house and took place in stages over the next two to three weeks. Divya, her husband, Shivakumar, and their seven-year-old son were allegedly killed on October 24 and 25, and Nalini and her husband Shankar on October 31 and November 1. He was arrested on November 5 after police pieced together his movements. Police have secured 12 days’ custody of Indushekar. The role of his 17-year-old daughter is also under investigation, with police questioning her over allegations that she assisted her father in disposing of the bodies.
The Toyota Etios seized by police carried a “PRESS” sticker and a Thaana Varadi banner above the boot. Bengaluru police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said it was among the aspects of his background being looked into. “According to preliminary findings, Indushekar deeply resented Sunitha’s frequent visits to her parental home in Srirampura and how they would constantly interfere in her life. He resented the support she got from her mother and brothers,” a senior police officer said. This is the police’s preliminary assessment of the motive, based partly on what the accused allegedly told investigators. Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge said she was being questioned in accordance with the juvenile law to establish whether she had abetted the crimes, and whether she had been influenced by her father.
