Detectives probing the KR Puram triple murder case have reached out to global tech giant Google to share detailed records of conversations allegedly had by one of the prime accused with its chatbot Gemini.
25-year-old software engineer Shwetha and her boyfriend Kenneth were arrested in Puducherry on June 24 and 25 respectively, days after her parents and sister were murdered inside their apartment in Sigahalli on June 21.
Investigators claimed that the confiscation and examination of Kenneth’s laptop after his arrest resulted in him spending nearly six months interacting with Gemini, carefully crafting hypothetical questions to elicit information about violence without explicitly indicating an intent to commit murder.
“The conversations are important for our investigation as they may help in establishing the planning sequence and supporting statements made during interrogation,” said investigating officer Inspector Ramamurthy at KR Puram police station.
Investigators said Kenneth avoided direct questions that could raise suspicions, and instead asked the chatbot about scenarios involving intruders, self-defense and incapacitating a person before an attack. Police allege he also sought information about weapons, removing blood spatter, destroying evidence, and disposing of bodies.
Ramamurthy said the digital trail will be examined alongside forensic and electronic evidence already collected.
Investigators said the alleged chat conversations suggested Kenneth explored different routes over several months before deciding how to carry out the crime. Police also allege that he initially considered using an industrial cast iron oven, purchased for a proposed cloud kitchen project, to dispose of the bodies. This idea was later abandoned after it was concluded that the furnace would not be able to destroy human remains.
According to investigators, the alleged motive was financial distress. Police said Shwetha arranged nearly this $50 lakh from her mother to fund the proposed cloud kitchen project, which failed before it was operational. Investigators allege that the couple came to believe that killing her family would free them from financial obligations and provide access to family assets.
Meanwhile, psychological evaluations conducted during the investigation indicated that Kenneth suffered from severe social isolation. Police alleged that Shwetha supported Kenneth financially while he remained socially isolated from friends and family.
Police said Shwetha had earlier worked in the IT sector but lost her job after she became increasingly influenced by Kenneth. After the murders, they allegedly stole cash and silver ornaments from Shwetha’s house before fleeing to Puducherry.
