As PR Venkat Raman, the estranged husband of AI startup CEO Suchana Seth, recorded his statement before the police after Suchana was arrested on the charges of killing her four-year-old son, Raman’s lawyer said his client was numb with grief. He told the police that he did not know what might have led to the killing and only Suchana could say why she committed the crime. The 39-year-old AI startup CEO, however, has not admitted to having killed her son and maintained that she found him dead when she woke up.

“He can die for his son but will now have to live without him. My client has no claim for justice for himself or the child, who is no more,” the lawyer told reporters, as reported by PTI. “The trigger for the offence is just a guess. Maybe she did not want the child to meet his father or have an emotional connect,” the lawyer said.

Link between custody battle and murder of the 4-year-old

Suchana Seth was fighting a bitter custody battle over her son and the investigators are considering this as a major factor behind the crime. In a crumpled note found in Suchana’s luggage, Suchana wrote something about this custody battle and its frustration. Later, she tore it into pieces. Suchana checked in at a Goa hotel on January 6 with her son and left alone on January 7. On her way from Goa to Bengaluru, police on January 8 found the body of the son stuffed inside her luggage. The autopsy report said the child was suffocated to death around 36 hours ago.

Venkat Raman’s lawyer said initially the court allowed his client to speak to the child over phone or over video call. In November, the court allowed him to visit the child at home. But Suchana did not want him to visit the home and insisted on meeting outside.

“Raman was supposed to meet his son on January 7 in Bengaluru. He went to the house at 10am and waited till 11am. He sent a message to Suchana but got no reply,” the lawyer said.

Raman told police that he was not allowed to meet his son for the past five Sundays and on January 7 too he waited and got no reply while the mother and son were in Goa.