Suchana Seth, CEO of The Mindful AI Lab in Bengaluru, stands accused of the murder of her four-year-old son, who was found dead in a Goa hotel in January. According to the chargesheet filed by Goa police at the Children’s Court in Panaji, the child’s cause of death was determined to be “shock and respiratory asphyxia” resulting from “strangulation,” with no evidence of common poison found in the body.
The 642-page chargesheet, which examines 59 witnesses, alleges that Suchana committed the crime under sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen offender) of the Indian Penal Code, and section 8 of the Goa Children’s Act, 2003.
The incident unfolded when Suchana and her son checked into Hotel Sol Banyan Grande in North Goa’s Candolim on January 6. Despite booking the room until January 10, she abruptly cut short her stay, citing “urgent work” in Bengaluru, and informed hotel staff of her intention to check out on January 7. The next day, she was apprehended in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district while allegedly attempting to flee in a cab with her son’s body concealed in a bag.
Details from the chargesheet reveal that Suchana and her husband, Venkatraman P R, married in 2010 and had a son in 2019. However, marital discord led to their separation and subsequent divorce and custody battles. In January 2022, Suchana initiated divorce proceedings and obtained legal orders restricting her husband’s access to their son. Despite court rulings granting visitation rights to the father, Suchana allegedly obstructed these meetings.
