Suchana Seth, the CEO of an Indian artificial intelligence startup, has been arrested in connection with the alleged murder of her four-year-old son, whose body was found in her luggage. Multiple media outlets have corroborated this information. Seth is the CEO of The Mindful AI Lab, based in India.
On January 8, 2024, Seth was arrested in the southern state of Karnataka. Based on instructions from Goa police official Paresh Naik, the taxi driver transporting her was directed to the nearest police station.
According to Naik, Seth, aged 39, had lodged at a hotel in Goa from Saturday to Monday, but her son was missing. Hotel staff discovered blood stains in the room and immediately contacted the police.
North Goa Superintendent of Police Nidhin Valsan informed Reuters that the boy’s body was found in Seth’s luggage. Seth told the police she was in the process of divorcing her husband and was upset about a court order, reported The Week, an Indian news outlet.
Seth was later moved back to Goa for further investigation. Her husband, who was in Indonesia during the alleged murder, was summoned back to India.
Seth’s LinkedIn profile reveals her expertise in AI ethics and data science. With over a decade of experience, she has been instrumental in leading data science teams and promoting machine learning in startups and corporate research setups. She also held a fellowship at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center.
Superintendent Valsan stated that the exact cause of the boy’s death could only be confirmed after an autopsy. On Wednesday, Dr. Kumar Naik from Hiriyur Taluk Hospital where the post-mortem was conducted hinted at the possibility of suffocation due to a cloth or pillow obstruction being the cause of death.
In Seth’s Goa residence, the police found two empty bottles of cough syrup, hinting at a possible premeditated action. It is speculated that the boy might have been given a large dosage of the medicine before being suffocated.
The police are investigating the possibility of the child being sedated with cough syrup by his mother before his death. The post-mortem report revealed no defensive wounds, suggesting the possibility of suffocation.
Service apartment employees reported to the police that Seth had requested that they buy a bottle of cough syrup for her. “This appears to be a planned murder,” an officer was reported saying.
The motive behind the murder is still unclear. Meanwhile, Seth was subjected to a psychological evaluation to assess her mental condition. During the interrogation, she denied any involvement in her son’s death, claiming she found him dead when she woke up.
The police expressed doubts about her explanation. The ongoing investigation aims to uncover the reason behind the child’s murder.
