Bengaluru: A multi-state search operation following the Rajajinagar serial murders reached a major breakthrough Monday afternoon with the recovery of the remaining two missing bodies from the dense forest ravines of Shiradi Ghat near Hassan. The victims were identified as Shankar and his wife, Nalini. Police dispatched the bodies to a hospital in Hassan for post-mortem examinations and DNA tests.Deputy commissioner of police (north division), BS Nemagoud, said the investigators are now transitioning to the procedural phase of the case.“All seven bodies have been recovered and we will swiftly start working on taking detailed statements from the accused and others,” he said.Over the course of four days, search teams traversed steep terrain, forests and state lines to locate the scattered remains.On Friday morning, the search commenced at the foothills of Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur, where police recovered the body of seven-year-old Puneeth.The next day, the investigators located the remains of Indushekhar’s wife Sunitha and her mother Rupavathi, discarded in the Yercaud forests of Salem, Tamil Nadu.Two more bodies, identified as Shivakumar and his wife Divya, were retrieved near the forest trails of Chamundi hills in Mysuru Sunday afternoon.Forensic inspection revealed a calculated and uniform method used to wrap and transport the victims. All seven bodies were found tightly wrapped in old household cloths, including saris and bedsheets, encased in heavy plastic sheeting and tightly bound with multiple ropes.To cover up the smell of decomposition during transport, the main accused, identified as cab driver Indushekhar, regularly sprayed perfume inside his Toyota Etios. He used the vehicle on different dates to transport the bodies, the investigation revealed.The mass murder, allegedly executed over a fortnight at a Rajajinagar home, came to light after Thungamma, Nalini’s mother, filed a complaint after family members repeatedly failed to answer phone calls.
