Bengaluru Police Arrest Advocate P Priyanka After Week Long Manhunt
The Bengaluru police on Thursday morning arrested advocate P Priyanka in connection with the murder of her six-year-old daughter, ending a seven-day manhunt. Priyanka had been evading arrest since June 4, when her estranged husband filed a criminal complaint against her at the Kadugodi police station.
Acting on specific intelligence, a special police team tracked Priyanka to a farmhouse in Sakaleshpur, located approximately 220 kilometers from Bengaluru. Officers detained her at around 7:30 AM on Thursday at the property, which belongs to a common friend named Chiru. Following her arrest, a local court remanded Priyanka to five days of police custody.
According to investigators, Priyanka had attempted to evade detection by executing a complete digital blackout. She switched off her mobile phone and avoided using any debit or credit cards to prevent police from tracking her digital footprint.
After going absconding on June 4, she initially stayed at a secluded commercial resort on the outskirts of Sakaleshpur for two to three days. She then shifted to the farmhouse where she was eventually apprehended.
The criminal case relates to the death of Priyanka's younger daughter, Vennela. On March 24, the child was brought dead to a private hospital in Kadugodi. Priyanka initially told authorities that she had fed the child biryani and ice cream before putting her to sleep inside her multi-utility vehicle with the windows rolled up, suggesting she died of suffocation.
However, the situation changed after Priyanka's estranged husband, Praveen, filed a complaint. This led to the arrest of Priyanka's live-in partner, Mohan M G, a realtor. During police interrogation, Mohan allegedly confessed to hitting the child in the stomach with his elbow when she spilled ice cream inside the vehicle. He then clamped her mouth shut to muffle her cries.
The police maintained close surveillance on several suspected hideouts based on clues obtained from Mohan's questioning, which ultimately led them to Priyanka's location in Sakaleshpur.
