Indian-American teen murders mother, brother in United States

A 17-year-old Indian-American boy in Acton, a town about 40 kilometres northwest of Boston, has been charged with murdering his mother and younger brother after investigators said he had used the Internet and ChatGPT to search for ideas or fantasies about killing his family.

Arjun Aravind, an Indian-origin teenager, faces two counts of murder in the deaths of his mother, Sudha Venkatesan, 45, and his brother, Siddharth Aravind, 14, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said.

He has also been charged with two counts each of assault and battery on a household or family member and assault and battery. Other charges include theft of a motor vehicle and use of a vehicle without authority. Police went to the family’s home on Martha Lane shortly after 6.37 p.m. on Tuesday.

Arjun’s father had called after being unable to reach his family. A tutor who was expected at the house had also been unable to contact anyone



inside. The father had last spoken with his wife early that morning before leaving for work. Siddharth was last seen around noon.

Officers found Siddharth on the first floor and Venkatesan in the finished basement. Both had suffered visible trauma. Arjun was missing from the home. His mother’s green 2014 Honda Accord was also gone. Police alerted other law enforcement agencies and asked the public to look for the teenager and the vehicle. Residents were warned not to approach him.

Early Wednesday, police in Wayland responded to an unrelated alarm in a parking lot on Andrew Avenue. Officers found the missing car with Arjun inside. He was taken into custody without incident. “The subsequent investigation indicates that Arjun had recently been demonstrating concerning behaviour, including using the Internet and ChatGPT, to make searches for theoretical ideas or fantasies regarding killing his family,” the district attorney’s office said.