Police now say mother and child not heard from since 24 September

Poorna Kaameshwari Sivaraj and Kailash Kuha Raj. Picture: Met Police

Detectives investigating the circumstances that led up to the deaths of three people in Brentford earlier this month are appealing for information from the public.

The latest information they have is that Poorna Kaameshwari Sivaraj was not heard from since 21 September and her three-year-old son Kailash since 24 September. Police initially received a call late on Sunday, 4 October from a family member raising concerns about the welfare of Poorna.

The post mortems into their deaths have shown that Poorna died from a knife wound. Kailash’s death was the result of compression of the neck.

Kuha Raj Sithamparanathan who was married to Poorna and the father of Kailash is believed to have died from a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest delivered as the police were forcing entry to the flat at Golden Mile House on Clayponds Lane at around 12.50am on Tuesday, 6 October. There has been a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over this death as there is with all fatalities which take place in the presence of officers.

An ambulance and forensics tent outside the apartment

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command leads the investigation. He said, “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends. My investigation remains ongoing and I would continue to appeal to anyone who may have information that will assist us to come forward.

“We now know how this family tragically lost their lives, but we still need to find out why.

“Our initial enquiries established that Poorna and Kailash had not been seen or heard from for some time; Poorna since around Monday, 21 September, and Kailash since around Thursday, 24 September. What happened between then and when our colleagues found them?

“Did you see any of the family, or hear from them, over this period of time? Any piece of information could prove vital.”

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8721 4205 or via 101 quoting CAD 7365/04Oct.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

October 12, 2020