BENGALURU: The investigation into the murder of a couple by their 33-year-old son in an upscale villa community in the tech corridor has taken an intriguing turn: Cops have learnt that the accused was grappling with serious psychiatric issues.Rohan Bhat, the US-returned software engineer who was arrested by HAL police, was Thursday sent to Nimhans after it was concluded that it was not prudent at this juncture to hand him over police custody. Based on a preliminary assessment, a police officer said Rohan could be suffering from schizophrenia (a serious mental health condition characterised by disorganised thinking or behaviour).Wednesday, HAL police arrested Rohan on charges of stabbing his parents, former merchant navy captain Naveen Chandra and dentist mother Shyamala, to death inside their villa in Vignan Nagar, near HAL Township.The incident came to light around 7.30am when neighbours, on hearing the commotion, rushed to the villa. The couple was immediately shifted to Manipal Hospital on Old Airport Road but declared dead on arrival. Later, based on a complaint filed by Dr Madhavi Nair, a neighbour, police nabbed Rohan.Also read: Father hit him with airgun, son took kitchen knife: How Bengaluru techie butchered parents in upscale villa“Though circumstantial evidence points to Rohan’s involvement in the murder, what is evading clarity is the exact motive behind the murder,” a police officer said.“Rohan makes contradictory statements every now and then. Once, he claims his father refused to give him Rs 4 lakh for his new project. Then, he changes it, saying the fight broke out over changing his mobile number from the family package. Also, he was undergoing mood swings. So, we decided to question him once his younger sister arrives from the US,” the police officer added.Rohan studied in USPolice discovered that Naveen and Shyamala hailed from Mangaluru. A merchant navy captain, Naveen served in many parts of the country: Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. They shifted to Bengaluru around six years back. Shyamala worked at Chinmaya Hospital in Indiranagar. Also, she ran a small clinic in her villa, the sources said.Rohan completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in America. “A software engineer, Rohan worked with different companies before returning to Bengaluru in 2023. He told his parents that he was freelancing for different tech firms. However, Rohan had differences with Naveen, but he loved his mother. Saying he wanted to work in solitude, he lived in a single-bedroom rented house in Varthur,” an investigating officer said.Couple returned from OdishaMonday evening, the couple landed in Bengaluru from Bhubaneswar, where they had gone on a 10-day excursion. “Since his mother intimated him, Rohan came home to receive them. According to Rohan, he requested Naveen to fund his projects and Naveen refused. However, the fight broke out early Wednesday morning when Naveen was getting ready for a walk and Rohan repeated his demand. At one stage, Naveen shouted at Rohan, asking him to leave the house immediately. According to Rohan, his father hit him with the stock of an airgun,” an investigating officer said.Police found that Rohan used a kitchen knife to kill his parents. However, Rohan claimed he did not remember anything.Multiple stab woundsThe couple’s neighbour Dr Madhavi Nair stated in her complaint that she received a call at around 7.40am Wednesday to attend to an emergency in villa 112. “I rushed out and found Naveen in the garden of the opposite house. He had multiple stab wounds,” she said.“I saw Shyamala lying on the floor inside the house. She was not responding. I was told by my neighbour that their son, Rohan, was inside. I asked him to come out. He said he was hit on the stomach. Then, I went inside and checked on Shyamala. I could not feel a pulse,” she said.She also stated, “Shyamala told me that Rohan had some psychiatric issues and was on medication.”
