(This is a follow-up to a story that appeared on waylandpost.org on Aug. 12, 2026.)
Wayland Acting Police Chief Mark Hebert said that in his numerous years on patrol, he had never come upon a situation like one of his relatively young officers did.
Officer David Fors, while out on an unrelated call in a parking lot off of Andrew Avenue early in the morning of Aug. 12, discovered a green 2014 Honda Accord that was wanted in connection to two deaths in Acton, more than a dozen miles away.
“Officer Fors saw the car around 3 a.m. when he was driving around the lot where the alarm was reported,” said Hebert. “He confirmed it was the BOLO (Be on the Lookout) vehicle from Acton Police and called the supervisor in charge.”
Inside the vehicle was 17-year-old Arjun Aravind, who days later was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of assault and battery on a household or family member, two counts of assault and battery, use of a vehicle without authority and theft of a motor vehicle, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.
Hebert said officers from Sudbury, Weston, and Lincoln arrived for backup due to limited Wayland officers working the overnight shift. Fors, a four-year veteran of the WPD, apprehended Aravind as Acton police arrived.
“We are all very impressed and proud of the job Officer Fors did in being observant and seeing the vehicle in question,” Hebert added. “It speaks well to his observation skills.”
Wayland Town Manager Michael McCall commended everyone from the Wayland Police Department involved in a statement released by the town.
“I would like to commend Police Chief Hebert and the Wayland Police Department, specifically Officer Fors, Sgt. Sean Fitzpatrick, and Officer Kristin Zink for their prompt response and assistance during this incident. Their proactive patrol and approach are a reflection of our officers’ dedication and commitment to keeping our community safe,” McCall said.
One week after the alleged murder was found in Wayland, the victims, Sudha Venkatesan, 45, and Siddharth Aravind, 14, were remembered at a vigil in Acton.
“He was such a great friend, constantly making me laugh,” said Vihaan Mudunte, one of Siddharth’s friends, according to multiple news outlets.
A letter from Aravind Sukumaran, Sudha’s husband and Siddharth’s father, was read by event organizer Susri Anuradha Mazumdar.
“I always considered myself the luckiest person in the world, to the family I had,” read Mazumdar. “Sudha was a wonderful wife, an incredibly caring mom, and one of the smartest people I knew.”
Arjun is set to return to court on Sept. 11 for a probable cause hearing.
Court records show that he had recently been using ChatGPT to explore scenarios involving harming his family in “Gothic novel-kind of stories” scenarios. Middlesex DA Marian Ryan said he allegedly showed “some concerning behavior, including using the internet and ChatGPT” to make searches “regarding the killing of his family.”
The crime scene showed “obvious signs of a physical and violent struggle” and the victims suffered “blunt-force trauma,” prosecutors said in court.
