'Dad didn't allow Jio-to-Airtel port request': Bengaluru techie who stabbed parents to death mentally sound, say cops

BENGALURU: Was he schizophrenic and did the illness lead him to stab his parents to death? This question haunted everyone when police arrested 33-year-old software engineer Rohan Chandra on charges of stabbing his parents — Naveen Chandra Bhat, a retired Navy captain, and Shyamala Bhat — in their villa in Vignan Nagar near HAL Township in Feb.

A neighbour, Dr Madhavi Nair, was among the witnesses to the attack and shifted the couple to Manipal Hospital on Old Airport Road, where she worked. However, both victims were declared brought dead.

While taking statements from neighbours and witnesses, cops learnt Shyamala told them that Rohan was facing anxiety issues and was schizophrenic. Based on it, cops shifted him to Nimhans.

However, after a week’s observation and treatment, doctors at Nimhans declared Rohan a fit person, and there were no signs of stress or anxiety or schizophrenia, said deputy commissioner of police (Whitefield) Saidulu Adavath.

“The doctors clearly gave us a green signal, stating we could subject Rohan to interrogation and later produce him before the court. With that certificate, we continued our investigation and subjected Rohan to detailed questioning,” he said.

According to findings by the investigators, Rohan was mainly upset over two issues. His parents denied him financial help of Rs 10 lakh, which he wanted to invest in a startup he wished to launch. Having completed a master’s in artificial intelligence in the US, Rohan wanted to start a company that could serve AI tools. But his parents denied him the money, stating he must get a job.

Secondly, his father was not allowing Rohan to port his mobile number from Jio to Airtel, police said.

“Rohan had used the Jio number for a long time and shared it with others. He wanted to retain the number and switch to Airtel. But his father declined the request. On the fateful day, Feb 11, a heated argument broke out between Rohan and his parents and ended in the brutal murder,” the police chargesheet explains.

The chargesheet, running into around 500 pages, contains statements from around 40 witnesses and includes reports from a forensic science laboratory.

The forensic reports confirm that the blood stains found on Rohan were that of his parents. This establishes the fact beyond doubt that Rohan was the killer of the couple, police said.