In October 2018, fashion designer and former model Sunita Singh was found unconscious and bleeding inside the bathroom of her rented flat at Cross Road Apartment in Lokhandwala, Mumbai. Her 23-year-old son, Lakshya Singh, ran to a nearby temple claiming his deceased father's spirit had possessed his mother and that he needed a priest to perform a funerary ritual (pindadan). When the priest arrived at Flat 302, he found Sunita severely injured and advised calling an ambulance. Sunita succumbed to a fatal head injury caused by striking the bathroom washbasin during a physical assault by Lakshya. Lakshya initially claimed he beat her and locked her inside the bathroom to expel a spirit, believing his father was dead. However, three days later, his father, Kuldeep Singh Lather, appeared alive at the police station, revealing he had divorced Sunita in 2014 and that Sunita had falsely told Lakshya he was dead. Investigators found both mother and son struggled with drug addiction, financial disputes, and superstitious beliefs. Lakshya was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, sent to a rehabilitation center and counseling, and later resumed his career as a fashion designer.
Country: India
State/Province: Maharashtra, India
City/Region: Mumbai
Incident Type: Family Homicide
Relationship Status: Divorced
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Incident Date: None
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Domestic Violence
The relationship dynamic between Sunita Singh and her son Lakshya Singh was characterized by persistent domestic conflict, co-occurring substance abuse, financial disputes over property, and occult/superstitious beliefs. Both mother and son engaged in frequent arguments escalated by drug use. Additionally, misinformation within the family—specifically Sunita falsely telling Lakshya that his father was dead—fueled an elaborate delusional belief that the father's spirit possessed the mother, resulting in physical violence and neglect.
Oshiwara police investigated the incident after being alerted by neighbors and local witnesses. Forensic examination of Flat 302 revealed bloodstains in the bathroom washbasin. Post-mortem analysis at Cooper Hospital indicated Sunita suffered assault marks but died primarily from a fatal head injury caused by impact with the washbasin. Lakshya was arrested as the prime suspect and gave statements claiming he assaulted his mother to expel a spirit. Three days later, his father Kuldeep Singh Lather arrived alive at the police station. Lakshya was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, underwent court-mandated de-addiction and counseling, and the court case remains pending.
Initial confusion arose from Lakshya's claims that his deceased father's spirit had possessed his mother, prompting him to perform a funerary ritual (pindadan). Investigators were further astonished three days into custody when Kuldeep Singh Lather walked into the police station alive, dismantling the premise that Lakshya's father was dead.
On the night of the incident, Lakshya returned home with his girlfriend Aishwarya and a friend while under the influence of drugs. An argument broke out with Sunita, who was also intoxicated. Lakshya physically assaulted Sunita, pushing her into the bathroom where her head struck the washbasin, and locked the door from the outside around 3:00 AM. Upon waking around 9:00 AM, he found her unconscious, ran to a local temple to enlist a priest for a pindadan ritual, and eventually unlocked the door for police. Post-mortem findings confirmed the fatal head injury.
The co-occurrence of active drug addiction, escalating physical violence, financial tension, and superstitious delusions created a high-risk domestic environment. The belief in spiritual possession provided a rationalization for severe physical abuse and failure to seek timely medical assistance.
Unaddressed domestic substance abuse combined with irrational or superstitious belief systems can rapidly escalate violent altercations into fatal outcomes. Misinformation within estranged family structures can further distort a perpetrator's perception of reality.
Frequent violent arguments between mother and son over money, property, and drug use, as well as Lakshya telling friends that his dead father's spirit was possessing his mother, served as clear early warning signs.
Bloodstains on the bathroom washbasin, Lakshya's irrational behavior at the local temple, and the locked bathroom door directed police attention directly to Lakshya as the primary suspect.
Forensic evidence from the bathroom washbasin, post-mortem reports detailing traumatic head injury, witness statements from the priest and neighbors, and Lakshya's own statements to police and media constituted the primary evidence.
The temple priest reported that Lakshya ran into the temple sweating profusely, claiming his father's spirit possessed his mother and requesting a pindadan ritual. Upon viewing the unconscious, bleeding victim, the priest urged Lakshya to call an ambulance immediately.
Follow-up investigation revealed three days post-incident that Lakshya's father was alive, exposing that Sunita had lied to Lakshya about his father's death years prior, shifting the understanding from a purely superstitious narrative to a tragic outcome of domestic violence and substance abuse.
It remains unresolved why Sunita originally told her son that his father was dead, and to what extent lingering financial or property motives contributed alongside substance-fueled aggression.