Suchana Seth, the CEO of an Indian artificial intelligence startup named The Mindful AI Lab, has been arrested following allegations of her involvement in her four-year-old son’s murder. According to numerous reports, the boy’s remains were discovered in her luggage.
As per the information released by Goa police official, Paresh Naik, Seth was apprehended in Karnataka, a southern state in India, on Monday, January 8, 2024. The police had contacted the taxi driver transporting Seth and instructed him to deliver her to the nearest police station.
Seth, aged 39, had reportedly checked into a hotel in Goa the previous Saturday and checked out on Monday. Her son, however, was missing. The hotel staff found blood stains in her room and immediately reported it to the police.
The North Goa Superintendent of Police, Nidhin Valsan, told Reuters that the deceased child was found in Seth’s luggage. Seth, according to The Week, an Indian news outlet, informed the police about her pending divorce, a court order that distressed her, and her estrangement from her husband.
Seth was later transferred back to Goa for further interrogation. Her husband, who was in Indonesia during the alleged murder, has been directed to return to India.
On her LinkedIn profile, Seth is listed as an AI ethics specialist and data scientist with over a decade of experience. She has been instrumental in leading data science teams and enhancing the application of machine learning in startups and corporate research facilities. She secured a fellowship at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University.
Superintendent Valsan mentioned that a thorough autopsy would reveal the cause of the boy’s death. However, Dr. Kumar Naik from Hiriyur Taluk Hospital, where the post-mortem was conducted, indicated to the media on Wednesday that the young boy might have died from suffocation caused by a cloth or pillow.
Two empty cough medicine bottles were found at Seth’s Goa residence, leading investigators to believe that the act was intentional and premeditated. The police are investigating the possibility that the boy was given a significant dose of the medicine before being suffocated.
Police, based on post-mortem results suggesting a lack of defensive wounds, are exploring the likelihood that the child was sedated with an overdose of cough syrup by his mother before his life was tragically ended. The service apartment staff reported that Seth had asked them to buy a bottle of cough syrup for her.
“This seems to be a calculated homicide,” commented a police officer. While the motive behind the homicide remains unestablished, Seth underwent a psychological evaluation to assess her mental state.
During questioning, Seth denied any involvement in her son’s death, claiming that she woke up to find him dead. The police, however, are skeptical of her account. The ongoing investigation aims to reveal the circumstances leading to the child’s death.
