The Tragic Case of Vennela: Unraveling the Murders Behind a Child's Death in Bengaluru

A 40-year-old lawyer is on the run after she and her lover allegedly killed her six-year-old daughter and passed it off as a natural death in Bengaluru, the police said after opening an investigation based on a complaint filed by the girl’s father.

While the girl, identified as Vennela, was reported dead on March 25, the police registered an FIR on June 4 against her mother Priyanka P and her alleged boyfriend, G M Mohan, on murder charges. Mohan has been arrested.

Priyanka married Praveen Basappa, a teacher who owns Cloud9 International School in Davanagere, on February 22, 2007, and the couple had two daughters, the police said. Their marriage began falling apart in late 2025 when Priyanka travelled to Bengaluru to handle a civil court dispute involving 25 acres of ancestral land. During the trip, she reconnected with G M Mohan, a college mate and former lover. Mohan claimed he was a real estate developer with assets worth Rs 1,000 crore.

According to Praveen’s complaint, Priyanka’s lifestyle changed dramatically after reconnecting with Mohan. The two had allegedly solemnized a secret marriage in Kashi and flown to Dubai for a lavish New Year celebration. Praveen alleges that he was pressured into signing divorce papers under the threat of losing access to his daughters after Priyanka returned in January 2026.

As the couple separated, their elder daughter stayed with Praveen, while Vennela remained with Priyanka and Mohan at a rented villa in Seegehalli.

On March 24, Priyanka had taken her daughter to celebrate her birthday. According to Priyanka’s own account, she fed Vennela biryani and ice cream before leaving the sleeping child inside a parked car with the air conditioning running while she went to a coffee shop with Mohan. She later claimed to have carried the child to bed upon returning. The following morning, Vennela did not wake up. She was rushed to Vydehi Hospital in Whitefield, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

Praveen insisted on conducting a postmortem and received an autopsy report on April 4. As he shared the findings with his elder sister, Dr Poornima, a paediatrician based in England, she immediately flagged serious discrepancies in the report and suspected foul play.

Praveen later approached the Kadugodi police and filed the complaint alleging that Vennela was killed by Mohan and Priyanka as they treated her as an “obstacle” for their future. The police subsequently started a homicide investigation.

According to a senior police officer, Mohan had obtained anticipatory bail after Vennela’s death.

“It was also one of the reasons to suspect his involvement. We then approached the court and were successful in getting bail cancelled on Friday. We have arrested Mohan and taken him into seven-day custody. Priyanka is still on the run,” the officer said.

“We are trying to ascertain whether Vennela was suffocated or poisoned before being placed in the vehicle. We will be able to get clarity once Priyanka is arrested,” the officer added.