'Repeatedly stabbed after heated argument': 33-year-old US-returnee murders Navy-retired father, dentist mother over startup funding in Bengaluru

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• US-returned techie arrested for allegedly murdering his parents in Bengaluru
• Victims were a retired navy captain and a dentist; son had anxiety issues
• Police say financial disputes led to frequent quarrels and the fatal incident

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A US-returned techie has been arrested for allegedly murdering his parents at their villa in Vignan Nagar, near HAL Township, in east Bengaluru on Wednesday. The victims, Naveen Chandra Bhat, 60, a retired navy captain, and his wife Shyamala Bhat, 55, a dentist, were residing in Adarsh Vista. The accused has been identified as their son, Rohan Chandra Bhat, 33.

According to early investigations, police said Rohan repeatedly stabbed his parents around 8 am following heated arguments. Neighbours, hearing the commotion, rushed to the villa and shifted the seriously injured couple to Manipal Hospitals, Old Airport Road, where doctors declared them brought dead. Dr Madhavi Nair, a neighbour and doctor with Manipal Hospitals, filed a complaint with HAL police.

A senior police officer said Rohan had worked as a software engineer in the US and returned to Bengaluru three years ago. “Rohan, a bachelor, was doing projects independently and wanted to scale. He reportedly had anxiety issues. When he found it difficult to raise capital for the projects conceived by him, he started pressuring parents to financially support his projects. The aged couple claimed helplessness stating they were not in a position to meet his demands. This led to frequent quarrels. Some time ago, Rohan shifted to a rented accommodation in Varthur,” the officer added.

Police said Rohan came to the villa Monday night and demanded money from his parents. “The fight escalated by Wednesday morning,” the officer said.

Rohan has been taken into custody and produced before a court. Police added, “We are yet to question him. His sister, who lives in the US and has been informed of the tragedy, will arrive in Bengaluru by Thursday. The bodies were shifted to Bowring Hospital. Autopsy will be conducted after their daughter’s arrival.”